Michigan state Senate leader open to gas tax holiday, data center moratorium

Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Sep 28, 2026

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Winnie Brinks, the Democratic leader of the Michigan state Senate, expressed openness on Monday to a suspension of the state gas tax, amid high fuel prices, and to a moratorium on new data center developments.

Brinks, who is the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, made the comments during a press conference on gas prices outside a Mobil station in Grand Rapids.

Democratic candidate for governor Jocelyn Benson has advocated for temporarily suspending the national gas tax of 18 cents per gallon but has opposed the idea of a holiday for the state gas tax of 52 cents per gallon, saying it would "blow a hole" in the state budget.

Brinks, Benson's running mate, has the power to pursue a suspension of the state gas tax as the person who sets the agenda in the state Senate. As the "pressure mounts on people's pocketbooks," a state gas tax holiday could be considered, Brinks told reporters.

"We'll return this week to Lansing and have some conversations with legislators about how we'd like to approach this," said Brinks, who's from Grand Rapids.

The Michigan Senate is scheduled to be in session on Wednesday.

Gas prices have remained elevated for months after Republican President Donald Trump's administration and Israel launched military attacks on Iran in late February. The average price of a gallon of unleaded gas on Sept. 28 was $4.67, down from $4.91 a week ago but up $4.22 a month ago, according to AAA.

The average Michigan price of a gallon of diesel fuel was $6.77 on Sept. 28, down from a record-high of $6.89 on Sept. 23, according to AAA.

Before talking to reporters on Sept. 28, Brinks of Grand Rapids filled her Ford Bronco up with gas. She then criticized Republican candidate for governor John James for supporting war in Iran.

Last week, James, a congressman from Shelby Township, contended his position on the matter hasn’t changed: “My position has always been I hate war,” James told reporters during a Sept. 22 virtual news conference.

It would take action from both the Republican-controlled Michigan House and the Democratic-controlled Senate to send legislation to suspend the gas tax to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk. House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, has spoken out in opposition to state gas tax holiday.

"That is not realistic with our budget," Hall said last week.

A three-month suspension could cut state gas tax revenues by somewhere around $600 million, according to a past analysis by the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency.

Indiana's Republican governor, Mike Braun, began suspending gas taxes in his state in April. Majority Republican lawmakers in Ohio have been planning to vote on a suspension of their state gas tax, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, Benson, the current secretary of state from Detroit, has also advocated for a moratorium on new data center projects and for ending tax breaks that benefit companies behind the developments.

Asked why she hadn't pursued a moratorium on new data center developments as the Michigan Senate leader, Brinks said, "We need to have a full conversation with the legislative caucuses to see what the pathway is for that."

Brinks said the question "has merit."

"We need to have a comprehensive conversation about, under what conditions, data centers are able to operate in Michigan," she said.