Prominent Democrats flooded the airwaves Sunday morning to defend Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic platform — but they were hesitant to specifically back a proposed price gouging ban that has raised eyebrows among Republicans and some economists.
“I think picking this one proposal of the many she’s put out misses the broader point, which is that Vice President Harris is continuing the work of President Biden in reducing costs faced by working Americans,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.”
One exception was Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who spoke favorably of state price-gouging prosecutions, citing his own experience dating from his days as the commonwealth’s attorney general.
The proposed price gouging ban made headlines last week, when Jason Furman, a Harvard University economist who formerly served in the Obama administration, told The New York Times that Harris’ plan “is not sensible policy.” The Washington Post Editorial board also described Harris’ economic policies as “gimmicks.”
Harris rolled out her economic platform in North Carolina on Friday, ramping up attacks against corporations for driving up grocery store prices in a sharp departure from “Bidenomics,” which has often hesitated to pin the blame on big business for inflation. Her policy proposals came only days before the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago this week, where she will further present her vision for the future of the party.
Former President Donald Trump quickly seized on Harris’ more aggressive approach, telling a crowd of supporters in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, on Saturday that while her plan might “sound good politically,” it is “very dangerous” and “communist.”
The Republican nominee doubled down on his portrayal of Harris as a “communist” Sunday morning, posting on X a fake image of Harris wearing red at a podium with a hammer and sickle flag in the background.
Many Democrats were quick to support Harris’ economic plan in general terms, describing her commitment to lowering costs for Americans and building up the middle class. But they stopped short of whole-heartedly endorsing her price gouging plan.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “people are reading too much into” the specifics of Harris’ proposal. She underscored both “corporate responsibility” and the need for business growth — noting “there’s a balance.”
“We know we have to have business growth in this country: small business growth, big business growth for good-paying jobs,” Whitmer said. “But we also know that you can’t gouge and hurt the American consumer just to pad your bottom line.”
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker noted, like Beshear, that states have already gone after price gouging so it would be “not unreasonable” to explore at the federal level, too. Pritzker also pointed to Harris’ other economic policies, such as raising the child tax credit and decreasing the cost of housing.
“There are a whole host of proposals that she has put forward. I know you'd like to go to the one or two, but I just want to say that the whole panoply of them honestly is good for average everyday working Americans,” Pritzker said to CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Coons, too, steered away Republican criticism of Harris’ price gouging plan by pointing to her proposals on housing and reductions in prices on prescription drugs for seniors.
“Well, let’s be clear, I know Kamala Harris believes in the free market,” Coons said. “I don’t think there’s anything communist about wanting to make housing more affordable and prescription drugs more affordable.”
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it’s “reasonable” to look into price gouging and how the government can stop it, stopping short of endorsing the policy while adding that “House Democrats look forward to working with Kamala Harris to drive costs down.”
“Vice President Harris is simply saying, we have to make sure that markets are properly functioning. That's the American way,” Jeffries said, also in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The exception was Beshear, who supported the proposal and compared it to similar policies in his and other red states, pulling on one example from Texas. “The Texas Attorney General has prosecuted price gouging violations, and I don't think anyone is going to claim that he is into price fixing, and neither is the vice president. This has to be evidence-based,” he said in an interview with CBS host Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation.”
Beshear compared the platform to price gouging statues he pursued as attorney general, such as the price of gas in Kentucky.
“It’s no different than what Teddy Roosevelt did in breaking up monopolies,” he added, citing the actions of a Republican president from the early 20th century. “It’s just making sure we have the right regulations and tools in place to make sure everybody is playing the game fairly and by the rules.”
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