FRANKFORT, Ky. — House Republican lawmakers said in a statement on Monday that Gov. Andy Beshear's executive order reducing the state gas tax by 10 cents per gallon would endanger road funding while delivering minimal consumer savings, according to a statement made during a transportation committee meeting.

"It's irresponsible," said House Transportation Chair John Blanton in the Kentucky House Majority Caucus statement. "It's gas tax grandstanding." Blanton said the executive order would save Kentuckians less than $6 per month while reducing Road Fund revenue by more than $45 million during the one-month reduction period.

The executive order, which took effect May 11 and is set to remain in effect for 30 days, temporarily reduces Kentucky's 26.4-cent-per-gallon gas tax and freezes an automatic 2-cent increase scheduled for July 1. The governor's office said the temporary cut is expected to save Kentuckians approximately $27 million per month, though a driver traveling 15,000 miles yearly in a 25-mpg vehicle would save an estimated $5.30 per month.

Blanton argued that the savings would not offset the costs drivers would incur from deteriorating road conditions. "While Kentuckians may save a few dollars at the pump, this will not compare to the potential costs in car maintenance and repairs they may face as road conditions decline," he said in the statement. Kentucky's gas tax is the largest funding mechanism for the state's Road Fund, and road fund revenue is distributed through a formula that allocates 18.3% of the gas tax to counties for road construction and maintenance.

Blanton also questioned whether the governor should have acted at all, noting that high gas prices in 2022, when Joe Biden was president, did not prompt a state of emergency declaration. The statement cited a study by TRIP, a national transportation research group, indicating that Kentuckians spend more than $1,500 yearly due to congestion and vehicle maintenance costs associated with poor road conditions.