Chances of Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey's 2-month gas tax suspension before end of 2026 look bleak

Tim Dunn, Boston Herald on Sep 30, 2026

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BOSTON — The chances of a two-month suspension of the state’s 24-cents per gallon gas tax proposed by Gov. Maura Healey last week being taken up by state lawmakers this legislative session looks bleak, at best, as gas prices continue to soar and the general election sits just over a month away.

Healey announced last week that she had filed legislation to suspend the state tax days after her Republican challenger for re-election, Mike Minogue, had called for a gas tax suspension of his own.

Healey’s suspension, if passed as proposed, would last until a few weeks following the election.

But the House did not act on Healey’s bill in a scheduled Monday informal session.

A staffer in House Speaker Ron Mariano’s office told the Herald Tuesday that the House isn’t scheduled to take up the bill until the next legislative session, which starts in January.

On Wednesday morning, another staffer from Mariano’s office contacted the Herald to say the House is “actively reviewing the Governor’s Supplemental Budget proposal,” and in fact does plan to take it up this session.

Herald inquiries into the issue with Senate President Karen Spilka’s office have gone unanswered.

If the House does not schedule another review hearing for the bill this session and if the Senate does not schedule a hearing for it, the odds of a gas tax suspension in Massachusetts before the new year are slim.

Asked by the Herald about the likelihood of Healey’s bill even being considered this session, Healey’s office said she will “continue conversations” with the legislature.

“Governor Healey filed this proposal because Massachusetts drivers are paying too much at the pump and there is action we can take right now to provide relief. Her plan would suspend the gas tax for two months, require the savings to be passed on to drivers and protect funding for transportation,” Healey’s spokesperson Jacqui Manning said in a written statement. “She will continue conversations with the legislature to deliver relief for Massachusetts residents.”

While seen by some as a campaign ploy meant to counter Minogue’s calls for a gas tax suspension and to take away leverage from him on the affordability issue in Massachusetts, Healey maintained that relief at the pump is necessary for Bay State residents suffering from what she calls Trump’s “totally avoidable” war with Iran.

The possibility of Healey’s proposal being a campaign tactic is supported by the complete turnaround from her previous and fairly recent statements on suspending the state gas tax, where she has called it a “gimmick” and instead called on Massachusetts to decrease its reliance on fossil fuels.

When asked about the possibility of suspending the tax in March by WBZ-TV, Healey did not directly answer the question, instead saying “my biggest concern right now is that the President of the United States, as Commander in Chief, needs to do his job.”

The idea has also not seen support from the state’s other top legislative leaders, including Mariano, who has stated a state gas tax suspension is not “a real serious attempt to provide relief.” He also called it a “political stunt.”

“It was different time. We weren’t at war. We didn’t have a president in Donald Trump who every day is jacking up the cost of everything,” Healey said when pressed on her change in tune.

Minogue held a press conference just outside the State House just as Healey’s announcement came to a close, equating her pitch to a campaign stunt.

“She’s doing this as a response, but it’s only for two months because she’s going to push everything to right after the election and go back to overtaxing our people right after the election,” Minogue said. “Maura Healey has been in office for four years with a completely Democrat legislature. Only now is she talking about lowering our costs, lowering our energy costs. Her time is up.”

On Tuesday, the average price for regular unleaded gasoline in Massachusetts was $4.38 per gallon, according to AAA. The national average was $4.45 per gallon.

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