In an effort to ease concerns within the grocery industry about Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposed food price control plan, her supporters are downplaying the likelihood of the plan ever becoming law, suggesting it would not gain congressional approval.
Harris recently introduced her plan for implementing price controls across various economic sectors, which quickly led to the term “Kamunism” trending on X. Former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump also labeled the plan as “communist.” However, it’s not just Republicans who are alarmed—industry leaders in the grocery sector and some economists typically aligned with Democrats are also worried, according to a report from Politico.
Unnamed Democrats in Congress and their aides have indicated that neither price control measures nor anti-price gouging legislation are likely to pass anytime soon. These sources suggest that Harris’ proposals are more about crafting talking points and shifting the blame for inflation away from President Joe Biden and onto corporations, rather than enacting actual policy.
“It’s clear to me these are very general, very lofty goals,” one anonymous Democratic lawmaker told Politico. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer echoed this sentiment on NBC News’ Meet the Press, advising people not to overinterpret Harris’ proposals, which she described as “broad strokes.”
Harris’ plan would also require significant antitrust actions, a move that would likely face strong resistance in both the House and Senate. “I honestly still don’t know how this would work,” another unnamed Democratic lawmaker admitted to Politico.
Some analysts are questioning where Harris is getting her policy advice, noting an apparent trend toward increasing government control in areas like food prices and housing. Since shifting her rhetoric from “price controls” to “price gouging,” the Harris campaign has insisted that any intervention would be limited to targeting “bad actors” and would not involve sweeping emergency powers to control prices across the board.
Harris’ economic advisor Brian Nelson addressed the “price gouging” plan at the Democratic National Convention, attempting to reassure critics by stating that federal intervention would only be used to curb “price gouging” during a national emergency. “She’s going to work with Congress to ensure that it is directed at bad actors, bad activity,” Nelson said. “It’s not meant to set prices or price levels or anything like that. And that is not the way current state laws around price gouging are.”
However, Nelson was unable to specify what would constitute an emergency or provide examples of corporations guilty of “price gouging.”
A source from the food industry expressed skepticism about the seriousness of Harris’ proposal, telling Politico, “I’m sure it polls well, but it’s an obvious effort to deflect blame from her administration on inflation.” Grocery store owners, already operating on thin profit margins, view the notion that they are driving inflation as unfair and misleading, especially after the trillions spent by the Biden-Harris administration on COVID relief and infrastructure bills.