Vice President Kamala Harris says when she’s in charge, there will be a price-gouging ban.
Say what? Her presidential administration would “set clear rules of the road to make clear that big corporations can’t unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive profits on food and groceries.”
But how? Harris says she will go after “the bad actors,” alluding to her stint as California’s attorney general where she prosecuted companies for illegal price hikes. Few other details were provided on how a ban of this nature would work.
“Don’t do it. Please don’t do it…” Liberal policymakers, including those who advised the Clinton and Obama administrations, are saying all this is easier said than done.
Why? Because government restrictions on price increases could backfire. Think shortage of goods.
By the numbers: At-home food prices increased 11.4% from 2021 to 2022, before slowing down (up 5% in 2023, and up 1.1% from July 2023 to July 2024).
There’s more: Harris would also plan to enhance USDA funding to expand meat processing capacity and increase competition in the food industry—which could also lead to lower prices.
Soundbite: “Consumers have been impacted by high prices due to inflation on everything from services to rent to automobiles, not just at the grocery store. A federal ban on price gouging does not address the real causes of inflation.” — Julie Anna Potts, Meat Institute president and CEO
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Congress to EPA: What’s Your BEEF with Meat Packers?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new regulations that take aim at meat and poultry processors.
And some members of Congress have a BEEF with the EPA’s proposals.
The proposed rules: In late January, the EPA released the details of its proposed “Clean Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point source category.”
Huh?
Basically, the EPA formally published its proposals to combat wastewater contaminants that come from slaughterhouses.
Okay… that makes more sense.
At the heart of the rules proposal is a concern from environmental groups about nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants that originate from slaughterhouses. In some cases, the wastewater goes directly into waterways. In other cases, the water goes to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
But not everyone is on board with the EPA’s suggestions…
Congress responds: Last week, two U.S. representatives—Eric Burlison (MO) and Ron Estes (KS)—pushed back against the EPA and introduced the “Banning EPA’s Encroachment of Facilities (BEEF) Act.” If passed and signed by President Biden, the law would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the rule.
According to the lawmakers, the proposed rules place undue burden on small processors—costs that can be absorbed by larger companies.
Soundbite: “The… proposed regulation isn’t just an attack on family-run small businesses, it’s an attack on rural communities,” said Burlison. “These meat and poultry processors are the lifeblood of our communities. The BEEF Act… lets these hardworking Americans do what they do best, produce safe, affordable food for our families.”
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