Healey's gas tax holiday hits a wall with House Democratic leaders

• Leaders from her own party torpedoed the plan because it would fall on them to restore the tax after the holiday.

What they're saying: "Why do I want to be in that political fight?" House Speaker Ron Mariano told reporters after huddling with Democrats on Beacon Hill.

Between the lines: Mariano said a simple two-month pause would put the House in the position of raising prices on consumers when the tax returned, even if prices were still high.

State of play: Healey proposed covering the roughly $120 million cost with revenue from the Fair Share surtax.

• House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, Mariano's budget point man, said a gas tax holiday would starve potential capital spending like MBTA improvements.

The big picture: Both Healey and Mariano are blaming the Iran war for high prices and said ending it would do more than a tax holiday.

• "We won't have to worry about gimmicks and tricks to get some simple solutions to some complex problems," Mariano said.

What's next: The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a Republican amendment to reinstate Healey's gas tax plan that Democrats will overwhelmingly reject.