Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and Juan Williams clashed over infrastructure funding during Monday’s broadcast of “The Five.”
The two hosts began discussing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s proposal for a Vehicle Miles Tax (VMT) when the conversation spiraled into a disagreement over the level of support for such a tax, and who would disproportionately pay it. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Mocks Pentagon: ‘If The Woke Generals Treat Us Like They’ve Treated The Taliban, We’ll Be Fine’)
“Seems like the Biden administration just spent a couple trillion dollars the other day. Oh, that was just the beginning,” Carlson began, referring to the coronavirus relief package recently signed into law. “Joe Biden plans to roll out another $3 trillion plan this week. It’s for something called infrastructure. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has an idea of how to pay for it: by taxing drivers by the mile.”
Carlson then played a video clip of Buttigieg discussing how a VMT could be a way to pay for roads instead of the gasoline tax. Carlson noted it would be “poor people” paying the tax, before stating Buttigieg walked back the proposal. He added no tax would be able to cover the $3 trillion the administration plans to spend on infrastructure.
Williams responded that every American already pays tax for roads through the gasoline tax, and the more one drives, the more gasoline tax one pays.
Carlson jumped in, laughing. “So pay more. Good! Tax the overtaxed. Is that your point?”
“No, the reason that Pete Buttigieg … walked this back, and I think he did so quite aggressively, is because the kind of alarm that you just raised is coming from the trucking industry, it’s coming from people who live in rural areas who have to drive more to get into town,” Williams answered. “They don’t want that fight.”
He went on to say “everybody,” including Wall Street workers, those in the car industry, and the trucking industry, “all say that GDP is going up,” and this tax “is going to be great for the economy.”
“The problem comes from Republicans that say oh, how will we pay for it? You want to raise taxes on the rich. We don’t want to drive up deficits if we’re not cutting taxes for the very rich. That’s the only time they’ll do that,” Williams said before Carlson cut him off saying, “Got it! Got it! Got it!”
Williams attempted to continue speaking over Carlson, and said, “I’m going to tell you something!”
“No, you haven’t told me anything!” Carlson said over Williams, “Not one thing!”
Carlson attempted to speak to another co-host, but Williams went on, saying “The American people like this,” to which Carlson responded, “Right, got it.”
President Joe Biden’s administration is reportedly putting together a $3 trillion dollar infrastructure and jobs package that would invest approximately $1 trillion for the construction of railroads, ports, bridges and roadways. It’s not clear exactly how the administration plans to pay for the package, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned it could mean massive tax hikes, according to The Wall Street Journal.