WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he wants to suspend the federal gasoline tax to help Americans cope with surging fuel prices linked to the war with Iran. In a phone interview with CBS News, Trump said he would pause the federal 18.4 cents per gallon tax on gasoline and the 24.4 cents per gallon tax on diesel for a period of time.

"Yup, we're going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we'll let it phase back in," he said. Trump told CBS News he thinks suspending the federal gas tax is a great idea. Suspending the federal gas tax would require an act of Congress, and the tax rate has been in place since 1993.

As of Monday, the national retail average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.52, up from $2.98 on Feb. 26, an increase of more than 50% in just over two months. Gas prices have surged worldwide since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and a U.S. and Iranian blockade at the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly 20% of global oil passes, has disrupted markets.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the administration was open to considering a suspension of the gas tax and supports taking all measures that can lower pump prices for Americans, though he did not specify how those measures would be enacted. Asked whether gas prices could fall below $3 by the summer travel season, Wright expressed initial optimism but declined to make a prediction. "War is unpredictable," he said, adding that it may take time for global oil markets to stabilize.

The administration has released millions of barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, temporarily lifted sanctions on some Russian and Iranian oil shipments already at sea, and is negotiating with countries reliant on Middle East crude to join a coalition to police the Strait of Hormuz.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he has not been a fan of a gas tax suspension but will hear out colleagues who support it. Thune said he prefers to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to normalize gas prices without legislation, and warned that suspending the tax would create a shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund. The federal gas tax provides more than $23 billion per year in revenue for federal highway and public transit programs.

Indiana and Georgia have temporarily removed their state gas excise taxes. Last Wednesday, Indiana Governor Mike Braun suspended his state's 36-cent excise tax on gas for 30 days. Since March, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has suspended Georgia's 33-cent excise tax on gas for 60 days.