U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman on Friday said he supports the suspension of Indiana's gas tax, but the federal government's finances don't allow it to do the same.Democrats in Congress have introduced legislation to suspend the feder al gas tax, currently 18.4 cents per gallon, until Oct.1.In an interview, Stutzman, an Indiana Republican, said doing so would jeopardize road funding and infrastructure projects. He said he supports Gov. Mike Braun's decision to suspend Indiana's use tax on gasoline, also called the sales tax, which is currently 17.2 cents per gallon. Braun's order does not affect the separate excise tax Indiana charges on gasoline and does not apply to diesel fuel."Washington doesn't have a surplus, unlike Indiana," Stutzman said. "So, I think Gov. Braun has more flexibility because he has his budget in balance."Stutzman said he does not believe the war with Iran will end with that country still able to block the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean through which one-fifth of the world's oil travels.He also said he believes the country's new leadership is more willing to make a deal than they are claiming publicly.Current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is considered to be more hardline than his father and predecessor, Ali Khamanei, but Stutzman said to pay attention to what Iranian officials do rather than what they say.WRTV also asked Stutzman about President Donald Trump's proposed 2027 budget. Among other things, the budget would eliminate the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, and community services block grants.The Trump administration estimates this would save $4 billion. Federal statistics show more than 120,000 homes in Indiana received heating assistance during the 2024 budget year, the most recent year for which data is available.Stutzman said the program has only subsidized utility companies' higher utility rates and government needs to put more pressure on utilities to bring down their costs.__ ...read more read less