Chris Deluzio: “I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his words. The gentleman is right. We have to confront this corporate power. We have…”

“I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his words. The gentleman is right. We have to confront this corporate power. We have to build an economy and a government that rewards hard work, not just obscene wealth. We talk about how we all feel that squeeze. We feel that power hurting us. We all hear from our constituents about the cost of groceries and the cost of food. They don't have a choice to not feed their families. We are feeling it and we are hearing constantly about the pressure folks are under to make ends meet and to put food on the table. People's paychecks aren't going as far in the grocery store and the checkout line. It hurts budgets. It hurts families. They are asking: Who is responsible? Why is this happening? No doubt, a few years back, food and grocery supply chains were affected by the pandemic, but a Federal Trade Commission Report made clear that the disruptions from the pandemic disproportionately impacted small firms because larger companies tried successfully to protect their power and their market share. {time} 1815 There is very little competition across much of the grocery sector. It is not marked by heavy competition. The four biggest grocery retailers account for nearly 70 percent of sales across the country. Among food suppliers, four firms control more than 60 percent of sales in most grocery categories. That is not terribly competitive.…”