Grocery retailer and later Republican member of the House of Representatives condemns Kamala Harris' price control plan

An Ohio grocer turned congressman condemned Vice President Harris' price control program and warned of disastrous consequences for businesses and consumers if it is implemented.

New Rep. Michael Rulli (R-Ohio) owns the Rulli Bros. grocery chain and said profit margins are already notoriously low and any further regulation could spell the end for companies like his, founded by his father in 1917.

“This will be a nail in the coffin for this industry that no one can imagine,” Rulli told Fox News.

“The net profit in grocery stores is about one and a half [percent] – if you're doing really well, a dollar and a half. Simply put, that's about $1.50 for every $100 you put through the till. And what we've seen over the last three to four years has been pretty terrible,” he continued.

Price controls would lead to shortages of even the most basic household items, he warned.

“If the Harris administration tells Procter & Gamble, based in Cincinnati, that this Tide that I'm selling here today for $4.99 has to stay at $4.99 for the next four years, Procter & Gamble will simply choose not to make that product anymore,” he continued.

“And you will live in Cuba or Venezuela.”

During her term as Vice President, Kamala Harris experienced a period of severe inflation that had devastating consequences for consumers and businesses.

Last week, it introduced a directive against “price gouging” that aims to limit the prices that shops can charge for certain food products.

Critics called the plan naked communism, or “camunism,” as the Post described it in a front-page headline.

“A lot of these smaller and independent grocery stores are going to go out of business. That's been happening gradually over the last 20 or 30 years, but I would say within the 80-mile radius where I am right now, there have been five grocery stores in the last two years that have gone out of business,” said Rulli, who came to Congress after a special election in June to replace retiring Republican Rep. Bill Johnson.

Harris' defenders point out that major food manufacturers have made record profits in recent years.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Hershey's profits grew 62% between 2019 and 2023, while General Mills and Kraft Heinz each saw 48% growth.