Harris Plans to Introduce Soviet-Style Food Price Regulation

(LibertySociety.com) – In her first policy speech since being tapped for the Democratic nomination, Vice President Kamala Harris presented her plan to tackle high consumer costs during a campaign appearance in Raleigh, North Carolina last Friday.

The vice president claimed that her policies, which include a federal ban on so-called price gouging, would bring down consumer costs and expand economic opportunities for all Americans.

Harris vowed that her “top priority” in office would be to bring down the costs of consumer products, citing specifically the high cost of groceries which have skyrocketed under the Biden-Harris administration.

Harris blamed the increased costs on supply chain issues during the pandemic and price gouging but failed to acknowledge the administration’s role in sending inflation to 40-year highs.

Harris also criticized former President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, claiming that they would amount to a national sales tax.

The Vice President said she would work with Congress to pass a federal ban on price gouging and would grant new authority to the Federal Trade Commission as well as state attorneys general to penalize companies that violate the ban.

In her speech, Harris railed against the Biden-Harris administration for the high cost of groceries, gas, housing, prescription drugs, and other essentials, saying that many families have very little left at the end of each month.

Newspaper editorials blasted Harris’ plan to address so-called “price gouging,” arguing that government spending and not price gouging was the cause of inflation. In one op-ed, the Washington Post said that if Harris did not want her opponents to accuse her of being a communist, she should not propose a communist economic agenda.

A recent CBS News poll found that only 9 percent of voters considered the economy as “very good.” The top issue for voters throughout most public opinion polls continues to be the economy and inflation.

The Trump campaign described the vice president’s economic plan as an attempt to implement price controls, something that has repeatedly failed. The campaign said the vice president’s policy would lead to shortages, food lines, and “skyrocketing inequality.”