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As far back as 2014, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-9th District, was fending off claims from challenger Art Halvorson that he would make drivers pay a larger federal tax at the gas pump.
Much has changed since -- Shuster is retiring from Congress and a Republican occupies the White House -- but the issue remains. And as Shuster, President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans boast of a plan to upgrade the nation's infrastructure, the question lingers: How will they pay for the work?
The federal tax has remained the same since 1993, at 18.4 cents per gallon of gas and 24 cents per gallon of diesel. That means a fill-up for a 12-gallon tank includes a little more than $2 for the federal government to maintain roads and bridges.
With the number stuck at early-1990s levels and not tied to inflation, those $2 cover less every year. Many in Congress seem to agree that it has to be increased, but it can be hard to gather support during an election year.
Shuster learned that lesson firsthand in 2014, when Halvorson, his primary challenger, paid for radio ads to accuse the incumbent of pursuing a massive tax hike. As chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Shuster had discussed the issue publicly with colleagues.
"Now the politicians in Washington want to gouge us even more with a new tax. Leading the push for this new tax is our own career politician, big spender Bill Shuster," the ad stated.
Plans for a 2014 gas tax hike eventually fizzled, as did an idea to tax cars for each mile traveled using an electronic device. But the roads still need money.
According to reports Thursday, Trump himself backed a gas tax increase -- possibly as much as 25 cents, more than doubling the current rate -- at a closed-door meeting with lawmakers. Whether such a hefty increase would be palatable during an election year remains to be seen.
For his part, Shuster -- who has made an infrastructure bill his main goal during his final months in Congress -- backed a tax hike last week, although not necessarily a 25-cent one.
Republican plans to fund their initial infrastructure work remain murky. Supporters have described it as a $1.5 trillion bill, but it cuts some spending and relies overwhelmingly on local and municipal funds to carry out the work.
If and when the work is done, however, gas taxes will still be needed for upgrades and maintenance.
"Nobody wants to raise any taxes, but this is something that's understandable and efficient," Shuster told Bloomberg. "The understandable part is that if you pay money at the pump, it goes into the Highway Trust Fund, so it's not going to Washington in the end."
Map ideas move Altoona from 9th
Only a day remains until the state Supreme Court's appointed experts reveal their new Pennsylvania congressional map -- one that could throw this year's elections into disarray and end the Republican tilt in House races.
Altoona has served as the population anchor of the 9th District for as long as its representative has been named Shuster. But several new maps submitted for consideration could throw Blair County into a new district entirely or force Republicans here into fights with the party's own incumbents elsewhere.
In many states, congressional maps are typically drawn to protect incumbents, keeping them in separate districts so they aren't forced against each other. It's a legitimate consideration when drawing a map, courts have ruled, and it is one Republicans would seek to protect.
But Democrats submitting their own plans have little interest in protecting Republican incumbents -- and the court-appointed mapmakers might not care, either.
That is obvious in some of the Democratic proposals submitted just before last week's deadline.
Under the Senate Democrats' plan and another submitted by Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, the 9th District would shift westward, covering Cambria and Somerset counties and extending toward Pittsburgh. Blair and Bedford counties would be drawn into the 5th District, already represented by Republican Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson of Centre County.
Some proposals would pit Thompson against fellow Republicans in other parts of the state.
Other maps -- submitted by the plaintiffs in the case that tossed out the current setup -- also draw the Altoona area into new districts, extending either to the New York state line or to eastern Pennsylvania.
If those changes end up in the final product, Altoona could lose some of its central significance to its district. It wouldn't be the first time for a local city: Johnstown gradually fell as the 12th District's political center with the death of Rep. John Murtha and a map that yoked it to faraway Pittsburgh suburbs.
Local voters and candidates will get their answers Monday, although that won't be the end of the story.
State Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, has signaled that he might challenge any new map in court, calling the process "completely unacceptable."
Ryan Brown can be emailed at rbrown@altoonamirror.com.