House lawmakers moved a measure this week to lower gas prices at military exchanges in hopes of making fuel cheaper for United States service men and women.
The legislation would authorize Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to offer discounted fuel prices at exchange stores in reductions equivalent to the price of the federal gas tax, the Navy Times reports.
That federal tax is 18.4 cents per gallon for regular and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel.
The measure would also allow the secretary to discount prices even further in order to counteract high state and local taxes.
Introduced by Rep. Abe Hamadeh, (R-AZ), the proposal was included in the House’s version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, which was approved by the House Armed Services Committee early Friday morning.
It had bipartisan support on the committee.
Rep. Hamadeh is a veteran who served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, including a tour in Saudi Arabia.
“This discount, equal to the federal fuel tax, shows profound gratitude to our nation’s heroes who have borne the heavy costs of war defending our freedoms,” Hamadeh said in a statement. “This common-sense step delivers real relief to our selfless service members and their families.”
The relief won’t come soon, however.
According to the Navy Times, “The bill next goes to the full House for a vote, followed by negotiations with the Senate to establish a final fiscal 2027 defense package. Over the past several years, the budgeting process has included stopgap funding measures and stretched to December before defense appropriations were finalized.”
Domestic gas prices have climbed since the strikes against Iran began on Feb. 28, followed by that besieged country’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a substantial percentage of the world’s oil is transported.
The national average for a gallon of regular was $4.56 over Memorial Day, nearly $1.38 higher than it was for the same weekend in 2025 – and a four-year high, AAA recently reported.
It has dropped to $4.24 since then.
“Drivers will take all the relief they can get as they embark on summer road trips,” AAA said in a statement. “But uncertainty lingers over when the Strait of Hormuz will fully reopen and resume traffic. That unknown means oil prices will likely not decrease dramatically as summertime gasoline demand starts going up. “
Fuel prices are set by military exchanges locally by studying gas stations in close proximity to installations and matching the lowest price, according to the Navy Times.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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