各州正在应对中期选举前居高不下的燃油价格，这给美国人带来了压力，在联邦努力陷入停滞的情况下，通过免税期和其他策略来提供救济。
States are taking on the stubbornly high fuel prices squeezing Americans ahead of the midterm elections pushing through tax holidays and other tactics to offer relief while federal efforts have stalled.
为什么重要：距离11月3日还有不到30天的时间，这些降价杠杆的政治利害关系--即使缓解幅度不大--在天价成本的情况下正在飙升。
Why it matters: With November 3 less than 30 days away, the political stakes of those price-lowering levers — even if the relief is only modest — are surging amid sky-high costs.
- 尽管几位立法者提出了旨在或敦促暂停联邦汽油税的立法，汽油税为每加仑18.4美分，柴油税为24.4美分，但华盛顿尚未达成一致。
• While several lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at or pressed for suspending the federal gas tax, which is 18.4 cents per gallon for gas and 24.4 for diesel, Washington hasn't coalesced around a solution.
推动新闻：这使得各州不得不寻找方法来为居民提供救济。
Driving the news: That's left states seeking ways to give their residents relief.
典型案例：俄亥俄州州长迈克·德温（Mike DeWine）上周签署了一项法案，将俄亥俄州的汽油税暂停征收90天，这一努力赢得了两党的支持。
Case in point: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a bill last week that suspends Ohio's gas tax for 90 days, an effort that earned bipartisan backing.
- 有一个潜在的选举故事：该州民主党州长候选人艾米·阿克顿（Amy Acton）呼吁实行汽油税假期，随后她的竞争对手维韦克·拉马斯瓦米（Vivek Ramaswamy）与共和党领导人宣布了一项计划。
• There's an underlying election story: The state's Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Amy Acton, had called for a gas tax holiday, followed by her rival, Vivek Ramaswamy, announcing a plan with GOP leaders.
闪回：佐治亚州是伊朗战争期间第一个暂停征收燃油税的州，共和党州长布莱恩·坎普（Brian Kemp）于3月份批准暂停征收燃油税60天。
Flashback: Georgia was the first state to suspend its fuel taxes amid the war in Iran, with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp approving a 60-day pause back in March.
- 此后，至少有五个其他州（包括俄亥俄州）暂停、降低或停止提高燃油税。坎普在9月下旬宣布进入紧急状态，并再次暂停消费税30天。
• Since then, at least five other states (including Ohio), have suspended, lowered or stopped increases in their fuel taxes. Kemp declared a state of emergency in late September and suspended the excise tax again for 30 days.
- 犹他州在年底前将汽油税削减约15%。州长安迪·贝希尔（D-Ky.）冻结了5月份汽油和柴油税的预期增长。伊利诺伊州今年夏天暂停了六个月的加息。
• Utah cut its gas tax by some 15% through the end of the year. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) froze an expected increase in the gas and diesel taxes in May. Illinois suspended its set increase this summer for six months.
- 印第安纳州州长迈克·布劳恩（Mike Braun）也于四月份暂停了印第安纳州的汽油税。他于9月下旬重新暂停，并取消了对农民和木材收割机染色柴油的限制。
• Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) also suspended Indiana's gas tax in April. He renewed the suspension in late September and lifted restrictions on dyed diesel for farmers and timber harvesters.
摩擦点：特朗普政府表示今年春天对汽油税假期持开放态度，但国会必须暂停征税。虽然这个想法以前就有人提出过，但立法者从未这样做过。
Friction point: The Trump administration signaled openness to a gas tax holiday this spring, but Congress must suspend the levy. While the idea has been floated before, lawmakers have never done so.
- 暂停征税可以给消费者带来一些缓解，但这无法抵消自战争开始以来他们在加油站感受到的峰值。此外，批评者指出，这样做可能会增加赤字并损害其所资助的公路信托基金。
• Suspending the taxes can bring some relief to consumers, but it wouldn't offset the spikes they've felt at the pump since the start of the war. Plus, critics note doing so could increase the deficit and hurt the Highway Trust Fund it fuels.
- 但正如Axios的本·格曼（Ben Geman）在五月份指出的那样，政治风向并不总是可预测的--特别是几个月后司机和卡车司机仍然感受到压力，而且政治信息围绕着生活成本担忧。
• But as Axios' Ben Geman noted back in May, political winds aren't always predictable — especially with drivers and truckers still feeling the strain months later, and as political messages cluster around cost-of-living concerns. Zoom out:
缩小：其他州也采取了与布劳恩类似的做法，放弃了对紧张行业的季节性和传统限制。
Other states have taken a similar approach to Braun by waiving seasonal and traditional restrictions for strained industries.
- 例如，阿拉巴马州州长凯·艾维（Kay Ivey）指示州执法部门停止执行针对染色柴油的规定，染色柴油通常用于越野机械，免税，“以缓解该州的农业和木材社区的压力。"
• For example, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) directed state law enforcement to stop enforcing rules against dyed diesel, usually reserved for off-road machinery and exempt from taxes, "to relieve the state's agricultural and timber communities."
路易斯安那州，内布拉斯加州，北卡罗来纳州，俄克拉荷马州和德克萨斯州采取了类似的行动。
• Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas took similar action.
- 尽管如此，其他州还是采取了不同的救济途径：加利福尼亚州最近采取行动，允许较便宜的冬季混合天然气比平时更早出售，而密歇根州则允许加油站在今年春天早些时候出售成本较低的汽油。
• Still, other states pursued different avenues for relief: California recently took action to permit cheaper, winter-blend gas to be sold earlier than usual, while Michigan allowed gas stations to sell lower-cost gasoline earlier this spring. The bottom line:
底线：即使联邦汽油税假期仍然不太可能，泵的痛苦-也许，未来的痛苦的可能性-是助长国家的行动。
Even if a federal gas tax holiday remains unlikely, pump pain — and perhaps, the possibility of future pain— is fueling state action.