Electric vehicle owners don’t buy gas. States look for other ways to pay for roads and bridges.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The pothole outside Timothy Taylor's home was so deep, he could hear the clunk of cars hitting it from inside his house.

The Portland, Oregon, resident could sympathize with those drivers: He knew to avoid his own neighborhood pothole, but another one damaged his car's suspension to the tune of $1,000.

“Hearing that awful sound of your car bottoming out — it’s horrible,” he said.

Oregon transportation officials say that without more funding, residents like Taylor could see further declines in the quality of roads, highways and bridges starting this year. But revenues from gas taxes paid by drivers at the pump are projected to decrease as more people adopt electric and fuel-efficient cars, forcing officials to look for new ways to fund transportation infrastructure.

States with aggressive climate goals like Oregon face a conundrum: EVs can help reduce emissions in the transportation sector, the nation's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but they also mean less gas tax revenue in government coffers.

“We now find ourselves right now in a position where we want to address fuel use and drive down reliance on gases and internal combustion engines. But we need the funds to operate our roads that EVs need to use as well,” said Carra Sahler, director of the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School.

Motor fuel taxes are the largest source of transportation revenue for states, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers’ most recent report on state expenditures. But the money they bring in has fallen: Gas taxes raised 41% of transportation revenue in fiscal year 2016, compared with roughly 36% in fiscal year 2024, the group found.

In California, where zero-emission vehicles accounted for about a quarter of car sales last year, legislative analysts predict gas tax collections will decrease by $5 billion — or 64% — by 2035, in a scenario where the state successfully meets its climate goals. California and Oregon are among the multiple states that will require all new passenger cars sold to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

The downward revenue trend is already playing out in Pennsylvania, where gas tax revenues dropped an estimated $250 million last year compared with 2019, according to the state’s independent fiscal office.

Inflation has also driven up the cost of transportation materials, exacerbating budget concerns.

The Oregon Department of Transportation — citing inflation, projections of declining gas tax revenues and certain spending limitations — has estimated a shortfall topping $350 million for the next budget cycle.

That could mean cuts to winter snow plowing and the striping and paving of roads, as well as layoffs of as many as 1,000 transportation employees.

Republican lawmakers say the gas tax revenue issue has been compounded by the department mismanaging its money. An audit released in January found the department overestimated its revenue for the current budget cycle by over $1 billion and failed to properly track certain funds.

“It really is about making sure that the existing dollars that are being spent by the department are being spent efficiently and effectively,” said state Sen. Bruce Starr, GOP co-vice chair of the joint transportation committee.

To make up for lost revenue, 34 states have raised their gas tax since 2013, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California has the highest gas tax at over 69 cents a gallon when including other taxes and fees, while Alaska has the lowest at 9 cents a gallon, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In Oregon — which in 1919 became the first state to implement a gas tax — it is 40 cents a gallon.

The federal gas tax of 18 cents a gallon, which isn’t adjusted for inflation, hasn’t been raised in over three decades.

In Oregon, where there is no sales tax and tolling has met fierce opposition, lawmakers are debating next steps.

Other states have taken such steps as indexing their gas tax to inflation, raising registration fees for EVs and taxing EV charging stations.

To bolster transportation dollars, some have reorganized their budgets. In Michigan, where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was first elected using the slogan “Fix the Damn Roads,” some revenues from marijuana taxes and personal income taxes now go toward transportation. In Connecticut, the sales tax now brings in more money for its special transportation fund than gas tax revenues, a 2024 fiscal report shows.

Another concept that could provide a long-term solution is what are often known as a road user charge. Under such a system, drivers pay a fee based on the distance they travel.

In 2023, Hawaii established a road usage charge program for EV drivers that will phase in starting this July. In 2028, all EV drivers will be automatically enrolled, with odometers read at annual vehicle inspections.

Three other states — Oregon, Utah and Virginia — have voluntary road usage fee programs. Drivers can opt to use GPS tools to track and report their mileage.

The name of the National Association of State Budget Officers has been corrected to include the word “State.”

FILE - Rebecca DeWhitt charges her electric vehicle in the driveway of the Portland, Ore., home she rents on Sept. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus, File)

A worker walks by a safety barrier as construction continues on Stark Street Bridge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Troutdale, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Construction continues on Stark Street Bridge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Troutdale, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Cars drive along W Burnside Street as cracks are seen in the road on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Construction continues on Stark Street Bridge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Troutdale, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A car drives by a pot hole filled with rain water on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Timothy Taylor poses for a photo by pot holes outside his home on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Portland, Ore. Taylor said a pot hole broke part of his car's suspension and cost him $1,000 to fix. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Construction continues on Stark Street Bridge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Troutdale, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Construction continues on Stark Street Bridge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Troutdale, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Workers talk as construction continues on Stark Street Bridge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Troutdale, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A sign is seen for the Stark Street Bridge as construction continues on the bridge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Troutdale, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

The Sandy River runs under the Stark Street Bridge as construction continues on the bridge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Troutdale, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A car drives past along César E. Chávez Boulevard, Monday, March 17, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

In this image taken through the reflection of a car window, a person walks along W Burnside Street near a repaired patch in the road on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have concluded a call as the White House pushes its 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine aimed at ending the grinding war.

The White House and Kremlin didn't offer any immediate details about the substance of the conversation, but both have confirmed the call has ended.

Here's the latest:

Trump and Putin have concluded the more than hour-long call as the White House pushes its 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine aimed at ending the grinding war.

The White House and Kremlin did not offer any immediate details about the substance of the conversation, but both have confirmed the call has ended.

Trump said before the call that he expected to discuss with Putin land and power plants that have been seized during the three-year war.

▶ Read more about Trump’s call with Putin

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson refrained from commenting on Trump’s decision Tuesday but took the opportunity to criticize the outlets.

“I do not comment on U.S. domestic policy changes,” Mao Ning said when asked about it. “But as for the media you mentioned, their bad records in reporting on China are not a secret.”

The Trump’s administration put almost the entire staff of Voice of America on leave last weekend and ended grants to Radio Free Asia and other media with similar news programming.

Radio Free Asia has an extensive Chinese-language service and frequently reports on human rights issues, including the detention of activists and repression of ethnic groups in Xinjiang and Tibet. The government refutes allegations of abuse.

▶ Read more about Trump’s cuts to Voice of America

In an extraordinary display of conflict between the executive and judiciary branches, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected calls for impeaching federal judges shortly after Trump demanded the removal of the judge who ruled against his deportation plans.

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a rare statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

In a Tuesday morning social media post, Trump described U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg as an unelected “troublemaker and agitator.” Boasberg recently issued an order blocking deportation flights under wartime authorities from an 18th century law that Trump invoked to carry out his plans.

▶ Read more about Trump and Chief Justice John Roberts

The Senate Finance Committee Chairman will hold the hearing to consider Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration on March 25.

The hearing comes as the agency institutes across-the-board cuts, which have prompted questions about the possible effects on benefits for tens of millions of recipients.

Among the changes at the agency are layoffs for more than 10% of the workforce and the closure of dozens of offices throughout the country. It’s all part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce.

The order applies to more than 100 teacher preparation and training programs the administration canceled in February.

The judge in Maryland issued the preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the National Center for Teacher Residencies.

The administration cut $600 million in grants to teacher training programs, saying they ran afoul of its policies against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Grantees rejected the notion that their work was tied to DEI. Many programs used the money to hire teachers, to pay for college scholarships, and to address retention issues leading to staff shortages.

The White House says President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun a highly anticipated call as the U.S. administration looks to persuade the Russian leader to sign-off on a 30-day ceasefire proposal as a possible pathway to end the war.

Tuesday’s call comes after Ukrainian officials last week agreed to the American proposal during talks in Saudi Arabia led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, remains skeptical that Putin is ready for peace as Russian forces continue to pound Ukraine.

Trump, before the call, said he expected to discuss with Putin land and power plants that have been seized during the grinding three-year war.

▶ Read more about Trump’s call with Putin

The Trump administration’s “great plan” to jumpstart a resurgence of manufacturing in the United States is simple, the vice president said.

“We’re going to cut your taxes, we’re going to slash regulations, we’re going to reduce the cost of energy so that you can build, build, build,” he said at a summit on American dynamism in Washington.

Vance said innovation will be a key component and there’s too much fear that artificial intelligence will replace jobs. He recalled early concerns that ATMs would replace bank tellers.

“People in our country illegally can self-deport the easy way, or they can get deported the hard way. And that’s not pleasant,” Trump said in a video posted to the White House account on the X social media platform.

He said his administration is repurposing a Customs and Border Protection app first launched under the Biden administration into one people can use to voluntarily leave the country and avoid being forcibly removed as he executes on his promise of mass deportations.

Trump said anyone leaving the country on their own could potentially return legally at a future date.

But if they don’t, he said “they will be found, they will be deported and they will never be admitted again to the United States ever, ever again.”

On Tuesday, the president called for the impeachment of a federal judge who has tried to stop deportations to El Salvador.

“This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The Republican president’s latest post aligns him more with allies like Elon Musk, who has made similar demands.

On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “I have not heard the president talk about impeaching judges.”

Shortly after taking office, Trump directed his national intelligence director and attorney general to come up with a plan to release the sought-after records related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The killing has spawned countless conspiracy theories.

Trump said Monday that some 80,000 files will be released, but it wasn’t clear how many of them are among the millions of JFK records that have already been made public.

He said his instructions to his staff were, “don’t redact.”

Trump has hung a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office, according to images he shared on social media.

The Republican president’s official account on X showed two images Monday of a framed copy of the historical document hanging on the wall not far from the president’s desk.

It was not immediately clear where the copy came from and when it was installed.

“The Nationals Archives delivered the Declaration of Independence to the White House at the President’s request. It is displayed in the Oval Office where it will be carefully protected and preserved,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

The original version of the Declaration of Independence is very faded and displayed in the Archives’ building. On the version hanging in the White House, according to the images posted, the words are clear and legible.

The White House and National Archives did not respond to messages inquiring what version of the document was in the White House.

▶ Read more about Trump’s new Oval Office decor

Vice President JD Vance’s speech will focus on support for American industry and workers, according to his office.

The summit is taking place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington. It used to be a Trump hotel when Trump was president the first time.

According to the White House press office, Trump plans to sign executive orders in the Oval Office at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The White House has also confirmed Trump and Russian President Vladamir Putin will hold a call to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine on Tuesday, which is expected to happen between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET.

The Trump administration fired most of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace and sent its new leader into the Washington headquarters of the independent organization on Monday, in its latest effort targeting agencies tied to foreign assistance work.

The remaining three members of the group’s board — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Defense University President Peter Garvin — fired President and CEO George Moose on Friday, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.

An executive order that President Donald Trump signed last month targeted the organization, which was created by Congress over 40 years ago, and others for reductions.

Current USIP employees said staffers from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency entered the building despite protests that the institute is not part of the executive branch. USIP called the police, whose vehicles were outside the building Monday evening.

▶ Read more about the gutting of USIP

District Judge James E. Boasberg was incredulous over the administration’s contentions that his verbal directions did not count, that only his written order needed to be followed, that it couldn’t apply to flights that had left the U.S. and that the administration could not answer his questions about the deportations due to national security issues.

“That’s one heck of a stretch, I think,” Boasberg replied, noting that the administration knew as the planes were departing that he was about to decide whether to briefly halt deportations being made under a rarely used 18th century law invoked by Trump about an hour earlier.

Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli contended that only Boasberg’s short written order, issued about 45 minutes after he made the verbal demand, counted. It did not contain any demands to reverse planes, and Kambli added that it was too late to redirect two planes that had left the U.S. by that time.

▶ Read more about the Trump deportation flights

The leaders are scheduled to speak between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET, a spokesperson for Putin said.

The talks are part of Trump’s effort to push the two sides into ending the three-year conflict by getting Putin to agree to a U.S. plan for a 30-day ceasefire that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted last week.

Zelenskyy said late Monday in his nightly video address that Putin is the one who is dragging out the war.

Trump said Washington and Moscow have begun discussing “dividing up certain assets” between Ukraine and Russia as part of the conflict-ending deal.

President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he visits the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Pool via AP)

President Donald Trump attends a board meeting at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Monday, March 17, 2025. (Pool via AP)

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)