Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act. Across the country, workers are calling out sick because of COVID, truck deliveries and other shipments are facing delays, and people are panic-buying, all leading to product shortages and soaring prices. Yet, while we know the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly challenged our Nation's supply chain, we also know there are systemic imbalances in our economy. Decreased competition, driven by market concentration, has allowed companies to further drive up costs and their profits at the expense of hardworking Americans in one of our most vulnerable moments. In the beef-processing market, for example, four dominant companies control 85 percent of the market. The four largest poultry processing companies made up more than half of the market in 2015, up from 35 percent of the market in 1986. We have seen this trend all across our economy, as large corporations have squeezed out independent businesses, eliminating competition. As a result, hardworking Americans throughout this country are paying more as food prices skyrocket, particularly for meat. Provisions included in the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act will help us tackle this very issue and help bring prices down across the board.…”