Democratic and Republican lawmakers are preparing for a showdown over the elimination of tax breaks for big oil companies.

At a time when prices at the pump are on the rise and the American government struggles to rein in the national debt and balance the budget, Senate Democrats have released a plan that takes aim at tax breaks for the country’s five biggest oil companies.

The proposal aims to close several tax loop-holes that could save the American government $21 billion dollars over the next decade.

It appears that this proposal could be extremely popular with voters who are paying $4 a gallon at the pump while companies such as ExxonMobil earn million-dollar-plus profits. According to a recent national survey for the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club, 73% of respondents support eliminating these giveaways, with 57 percent strongly supporting this action.

While Democrats argue that oil company profits should not be built on the backs of American taxpayers, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) admits that “It is dishonest for any of us to say that there is some magic wand that could be waved and bring down gas prices”.

Republicans on the other hand argue that the elimination of these tax breaks would actually raise gas prices.