LANSING
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers, a Republican running for Michigan's Senate seat, is calling for increased domestic energy production and a suspension of gas taxes to lower fuel prices.
"Let's make sure we are ready to go, that we have an unleashing American energy so that costs can come down very quickly," Rogers said.
Rogers is an Army veteran and former FBI street agent who previously chaired the House Intelligence Committee. He is running in Michigan, where gas prices have approached five dollars a gallon.
As a concrete step, Rogers has called for an immediate suspension of both Michigan's state gas tax and the federal gas tax. Michigan's state tax stands at 52.4 cents per gallon—approximately 19 cents higher than the national average. The federal gas tax adds 18.4 cents per gallon. Suspending both would save drivers nearly 71 cents per gallon, according to Rogers's calculation.
Rogers criticized Michigan's gas tax increase, which state Democrats raised from 31 cents to 51 cents last year. "Lansing Democrats have made abundantly clear that they want more money out of your pocket and in the government's," he said, calling the increase "unconscionable."
He also targeted state energy policy, asserting that Democrats are responsible for Michigan having the highest utility rates in the Midwest through "failed energy policies."
Rogers's plan, titled "Get Michigan Working Again," emphasizes reducing energy costs for working families.
