The Trump administration is openly considering suspending the federal gas tax as pump prices hit $4.52 per gallon nationally—a more than 50% spike since the Iran war began.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC News the administration is "open to all ideas" for lowering fuel costs, including eliminating the 18-cent-per-gallon federal tax that funds highway maintenance and infrastructure projects. "Everything has trade-offs," Wright acknowledged, though he stopped short of committing to the proposal.

Here's the trade-off nobody wants to discuss clearly: that 18 cents per gallon generates roughly $25 billion annually for the Highway Trust Fund. Suspend it, and you either blow a $25 billion hole in infrastructure funding or backfill it from general revenues—which means deficit spending or cuts elsewhere.

Democrats introduced similar legislation in March to temporarily suspend the gas tax through October. The politics are obvious: midterm elections loom, gas prices are crushing household budgets, and voters blame whoever currently holds power. A gas tax suspension polls beautifully and costs nothing until the bill comes due.

The irony isn't lost on policy analysts. This is the same administration that promised a $1 trillion infrastructure revival. Now it's contemplating eliminating a primary funding source for that very infrastructure. The cognitive dissonance is remarkable even by Washington standards.

Transportation industry groups have already signaled opposition. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association noted that deferred maintenance on bridges and highways already exceeds $125 billion. Cutting revenue makes that deficit worse, not better.

There's also the awkward fact that Wright predicted in March that gas prices would fall below $3 per gallon by summer. Eight weeks later, prices have climbed 50% in the opposite direction as Iran's Strait of Hormuz blockade constrains global supply. The administration's energy policy credibility has taken hits accordingly.