{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://baumgartner.house.gov/2026/03/09/congressman-baumgartner-urges-gov-ferguson-to-help-deliver-relief-at-the-pump/", "Congressman Baumgartner Urges Gov. Ferguson to Help Deliver Relief at the Pump", "2026-03-09", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Michael Baumgartner", "B001322", "baumgartner.house.gov", "baumgartner", "https://baumgartner.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "SPOKANE, WA \u2013 As global energy markets reel from Iran\u2019s disruption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Congressman Michael Baumgartner (WA-05), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is working with federal agencies to stabilize fuel supplies and reduce pressure on American energy markets. Today, he called on Washington state leaders to join those efforts by providing immediate relief for families and small businesses through the temporary suspension of the state\u2019s cap-and-trade carbon auctions.\n\nCiting the skyrocketing crude oil prices caused by Iran\u2019s hostile interference with international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, Congressman Baumgartner called on state leaders to temporarily halt the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which currently adds an estimated 40 to 50 cents to the cost of a gallon of gas.\n\n\u201cWashingtonians are not just paying the price for Iran\u2019s rogue behavior; they are paying a heavy premium driven by state policy,\u201d said Congressman Baumgartner. \u201cThis climate change surcharge is little more than a vanity project designed to make people in downtown Seattle feel good about themselves, while severely penalizing working people across the rest of the state.\u201d\n\nBaumgartner noted that the high cost of fuel is compounding the cost of all goods and services, disproportionately hurting tradesmen, commuters, and small business owners who cannot afford to absorb Olympia\u2019s environmental taxes during a global energy shock.\n\n\u201cSubsidizing charging stations for Tesla\u2019s needs to take a back seat to lowering the cost of living for everyday Washingtonians,\u201d Baumgartner wrote. \u201cOlympia must stop draining hundreds of millions of dollars from the pockets of working citizens every month during an international economic emergency.\u201d", 1, "2026-05-07T13:38:59Z", "2026-05-07T13:40:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://baumgartner.house.gov/2026/03/09/congressman-baumgartner-urges-gov-ferguson-to-help-deliver-relief-at-the-pump/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0320399887859821, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}