A state law she helped pass means a federal gas tax break would never reach Nevada drivers.
Pain at the Pump Sparks a Fight
If you filled your tank this week, you felt it. Gas in the Las Vegas Valley averaged $5.50 a gallon on Wednesday, up 67 cents from a month ago, according to AAA. That’s just 11 cents short of the area’s record of $5.61, set on June 16, 2022.
Now a fight over who’s to blame has broken out.
Rep. Dina Titus, the Democrat who represents Nevada’s 1st Congressional District, says her Republican challenger is twisting her record.
“More distortions of my record from Carrie Buck,” Titus posted on X.
She added:
“The fact is I co-sponsored legislation in 2022, the Gas Prices Relief Act, to reduce the federal gas tax from 18.4 percent to zero in response to gas prices that were the highest in 40 years.”
This decrepit, washed-up hack is either senile or lying through her teeth.
In 1997 @dinatitus was one of 19 yes votes to jack Nevada’s gas tax by whatever the feds cut.
She built the trap, sold fake relief, and screwed Nevadans.
She doesn’t give a damn. https://t.co/oztmwPafbx pic.twitter.com/boa6eF5KAI
— Christian Martinez (@CDHMartinez) October 1, 2026
NRCC spokesman Christian Martinez fired back.
“In 1997 @dinatitus was one of 19 yes votes to jack Nevada’s gas tax by whatever the feds cut,” he wrote.
“She built the trap, sold fake relief, and screwed Nevadans.”
The Trap in the Tax Code
Picture your landlord saying, “If the city cuts your trash fee by $20, I’ll raise your rent by $20.” You would never see a dime of savings. That’s how a little-known Nevada law works.
It’s called NRS 365.185. It says the state tax must go up if the federal gas tax is reduced or discontinued in whole or in part, and by the same amount the federal tax drops. public
The law has been around since at least 1973 and was changed in 1997. Titus was one of the 19 yes votes in the state Senate on AB525, the bill that rewrote it. The Nevada Taxpayers Association suggested the language at a 1997 hearing, saying it would keep rural counties whole if Washington cut or ended its gas tax.
So when Congress talks about a gas tax holiday, Nevada drivers get nothing. The state simply grabs the money the feds give up.
And taxes already stack up at the pump. Clark County’s fuel tax rises with inflation every year. Voters approved that through 2026. Then the Legislature passed AB530, which let county commissioners extend it to 2036 without a new public vote. They did just that last November.
What Titus and Her Defenders Say
Titus has explained her vote before.
She told reporters in 2022 that the 1997 bill was about permanent federal cuts and was meant to keep highway funding steady, while her bill was only temporary.
She said then:
“If the measure passes, I believe it’d be the right decision for the Governor to declare a distinction between the two and allow the tax holiday to ease prices for consumers at the pump.”
The problem is the law’s plain words. It covers any cut “in whole or in part.” It doesn’t say anything about temporary cuts getting a pass.
Titus also blames the war with Iran for today’s prices. In her post, she claimed Buck supports the war. AAA has pointed to ongoing trouble in the Strait of Hormuz and high crude oil costs as drivers of pump prices.
What Comes Next
The gas tax holiday idea is back.
In May, President Trump suggested pausing the federal gas tax as the Iran war dragged on, and a FOX5 report noted that Nevada’s law could block any relief. Just this week, Rep. Chris Pappas and Sen. Mark Kelly announced an expanded bill that would also pause diesel and aviation fuel taxes.
Unless Nevada changes its law, none of that would help us. The Legislature meets again in 2027. The election comes first, on November 3.
The Bigger Picture
This story is bigger than one vote in 1997. It’s about how taxes grow when nobody is watching.
Nevada’s trigger law means the state keeps any gas tax break Washington offers. Clark County’s indexing means the local tax climbs every year on its own. Neither one needs a lawmaker to stand up and cast a new vote. The money just keeps coming.
Most Nevadans have never heard of NRS 365.185. They only see the number on the pump. Right now, that number is near a record.
Titus says the law was meant to address permanent federal tax cuts. The statute she voted to amend makes no such distinction. It says Nevada’s gas tax rises when the federal tax is cut.
That’s the rule standing between Nevada drivers and the relief she now says she supports.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI.
