The Washington Post has criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan to impose socialist price controls on groceries as a “populist gimmick.” With food prices rising more than 20% during the Biden-Harris administration, the Democratic presidential nominee unveiled her economic policies at a North Carolina rally, which included enforcing government price controls on groceries.
The Washington Post’s editorial board argues that Harris should have acknowledged that inflation increased in 2021 due to the disrupted supply chains from the pandemic and the Federal Reserve’s policies working to slow it down. Instead, she chose to blame big businesses for the price gouging. The newspaper also mentioned that Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, would likely be affected by Harris’ policy ideas, such as having the Federal Trade Commission enforce a federal ban on price gouging with hefty penalties for companies setting exorbitantly high prices.
The editorial board criticized Harris’ plan to give first-time homebuyers $25,000 for their down payments, stating that it could put upward pressure on prices and referenced the failed price controls imposed by President Richard M. Nixon in the 1970s. The Washington Post also expressed skepticism about Harris’ housing plan but acknowledged some positives in her proposal to increase the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,600, along with other tax breaks.
The Vice President’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Washington Post’s criticism of her economic policies.
