Wilson Votes Against Federal Gas Tax Hike

WASHINGTON —  Sen. Pete Wilson, recently back in town from his gubernatorial campaign, split with Republican leaders by voting against an increase in the federal gasoline tax considered a cornerstone of the Administration’s budget deficit package.

By taking a stand against the 9.5-cent-a-gallon tax that would hit Californians particularly hard, given their average driving habits, Wilson risked angering his party leader, Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kan.).

Dole had warned his colleagues that rejection of the gasoline tax hike could doom a deficit-reduction package acceptable to President Bush and would result in a loss of $42.6 billion in increased revenues over the next five years.

Wilson said through a spokesman that his rejection of the proposal was based on several grounds, including the fact that Californians had voted their own increase in the state gasoline tax during last June’s election.

He also objected to the proposed use of half the gasoline tax revenue to reduce the federal deficit. He said gasoline tax funds have traditionally been funneled into the federal Highway Trust Fund to improve highways and bridges, and that this practice should continue.

In addition, “California always has been a donor state,” he said. “We pay more into the trust fund than we get back in improvements. So we have been shortchanged in this regard for years.”

Wilson cast his crucial vote in favor of an amendment by Sen. Steven D. Symmns (R-Ida.) to kill the tax-hike proposal. Both sides had predicted a close vote, but the final tally was 59 to 40 to block the amendment.

Meanwhile, Wilson kept his fax machine humming with press releases Wednesday.

One began, “At the urging of California Sen. Pete Wilson, members of the House and Senate conference agreed to drop a controversial amendment which would have called on the President to consider drilling off the coast of California as a way of decreasing our reliance on imported oil.”

“That’s stretching it,” responded Rep. Mel Levine (D-Santa Monica), who was unknowingly involved in some press-release dueling with Wilson.

A Levine press release announced Wednesday that he, along with Reps. Leon Panetta (D-Monterey) and Bill Lowery (R-San Diego), defeated the amendment.

“I hadn’t anticipated that kind of claim would come through,” said Levine, referring to Wilson’s release. “You might want to check the facts.”

Levine presented a long list of actions he and others had taken over the last several weeks in the attempt to kill the amendment. Saying it was a “long, complicated, hard fight,” Levine added, “It’s possible Wilson weighed in at the last minute.”

Levine’s comments echoed those of Wilson’s gubernatorial opponent, Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who has charged that Wilson neglected his legislative duties in favor of the race.

Another Wilson press release announced he had secured a commitment from Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner to fund 86.4% of the cost of fixing or replacing the Embarcadero Freeway Project damaged in the San Francisco earthquake.

Wilson spent Wednesday--his second full day in Washington in the last two months--working in his Senate office. He did not attend more than 10 hours of budget debate on the Senate floor.

“He was on the long-distance telephone a lot on campaign business, speaking with his aides,” said Lynda Schuler, his press secretary.

“He also was up to his eyeballs on legislative issues, including the gas tax and deficit-reduction proposals.”

Meantime, the Democratic chairman of a House committee made a fresh attack on Wilson for holding up legislation that advocates claim would ensure the quality of heavy-duty bolts that have been found at fault in many construction and aerospace accidents.

Rep. John D. Dingell of Michigan, who heads the Energy and Commerce Committee and its oversight and investigations subcommittee, charged in a letter to Wilson:

“Your opposition to this badly needed legislation is particularly disappointing because at no time in the legislative process--either during House subcommittee, House committee or Senate committee consideration--did you raise any reservation or objection to this proposal.

“While I realize that a tough political campaign in California has sharply reduced the amount of time you spend working on legislative matters in the U.S. Senate, I am troubled that the small amount of time remaining in this session may only lead to the death of this bill.”

He said Wilson had failed to offer an alternative proposal.

Wilson said earlier this month he had stalled the bill’s progress because he and a campaign fund-raiser, Ron Cedillos, want it strengthened with amendments that would require testing of industrial fasteners by outside firms, rather than making such tests voluntary.

Cedillos, of Long Beach, operates such a testing firm. Since the matter has become public, however, Cedillos has said he would not engage in future testing if such a bill were approved.