The 2024 presidential election has featured a revolving door of interesting public policy proposals, including one from Kamala Harris that would presumably impact a Texas institution, H-E-B.
In August, Harris promised and has continued to promote the idea of a federal ban on food price-gouging. Many panned the proposal because it was too reminiscent of price control measured by former President Jimmy Carter during his administration.
According to the Harris campaign, the policy would have penalized grocers who increase prices during emergencies. It’s unclear how the policy would check rising grocery prices, which are a major issue for voters.
The campaign suggested that the measure was aimed at supporting smaller food businesses that abide by the rules. This claim conflicts with recent actions in Democrat-led states on the issue of food freedom.
For instance, Democrats in Pennsylvania have been noticeably and increasingly hostile to small farmers. In a well-known case, Amish farmer Amos Miller was sued by the state agriculture commission despite his farm’s perfect health and safety record.
H-E-B did not return a request for comment on the Harris price control proposal, and no press release denouncing the policy appears to have been issued.
New York Times columnist David Brooks name-checked H-E-B in a PBS interview alongside Kroger and Harris Teeter in a discussion on price gouging. He called the overall policy misguided, as it just created black markets when tried previously.
In May 2020, the chain was named in a lawsuit claiming price gouging, specifically for raising the cost of eggs during the COVID pandemic. H-E-B, which was sued alongside other Texas grocers, denied the claim.
Charles Butt, the owner and CEO of H-E-B, is a major donor in Texas politics, typically to Democrats and anti-school choice Republicans. A search of Federal Election Commission records for political donations this cycle did not show any activity.
A national trade association rejected Harris’ proposal, calling it “a solution in search of a problem.”
For his part, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has supported the recent Make America Healthy Again movement, which focuses on food quality and freedom. Miller is rumored to be on a shortlist for Secretary of Agriculture should Donald Trump win the election.
