Kamala Harris Introduces Controversial Price Controls to Combat Inflation

In a move that has shocked economists and conservatives alike, Vice President Kamala Harris announced new leftist price control measures aimed at combating inflation measures that critics are comparing to the failed policies of the Soviet Union. Harris, who played a pivotal role in sparking the current economic crisis by casting the tie-breaking vote for President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, is now doubling down on the very policies that have devastated American consumers.

The Harris campaign's proposal, which includes the first-ever federal ban on “corporate price-gouging” in the grocery industry, has been met with fierce backlash. Her plan to impose severe penalties on food retailers has drawn immediate comparisons to the disastrous price control policies of the Soviet Union, which led to widespread shortages and economic chaos.

• Fact 1: Inflation soared to over 5% within months after Harris cast her vote for the American Rescue Plan, marking one of the highest inflation rates in decades.

• Fact 2: Price controls, historically used by the Soviet Union and other socialist regimes, have consistently led to shortages and black markets, as seen in Venezuela's recent economic collapse.

• Fact 3: The grocery industry in the U.S. operates on razor-thin margins, often less than 2%, making Harris's claims of "price-gouging" misleading at best.

RealClearPolitics senior writer Mark Hemingway didn't mince words, stating, "Kamala Harris is literally proposing price controls on food. This is exactly what the Soviets did, and the results will be scarcity and higher costs." His warning echoes the sentiments of many experts who understand the dangerous consequences of government-mandated price controls.

Helen Raleigh, an immigrant who experienced the horrors of communism firsthand in China, took to social media to decry Harris’s plan, warning, “Government-imposed price control is a terrible idea because it makes the economy worse by causing shortages. Everyone who survived socialism/communism knows this: if the store shelves are empty, it doesn’t matter how low the government claims the price of bread is.”

Republican strategist Matt Whitlock added to the chorus of criticism, sarcastically noting that Harris's plan is simply a “pretend” solution to the high prices she helped create. "Kamala Harris is going to counter the high prices (she caused) by instituting some kind of communist government price controls on grocery stores. Absurd."

The backlash has not been confined to policy wonks and conservative voices. Even among moderate observers, there’s a growing concern that Harris is out of touch with economic realities. National Review’s Noah Rothman highlighted the campaign's lack of substance, pointing out that this latest proposal is more about “gimmicks” than any real attempt to address the root causes of inflation. Rothman warned that “Kamalanomics” is an attack on the market mechanisms that ensure supply meets demand, a fundamental principle of a healthy economy.

In the wake of Harris's announcement, social media lit up with skepticism and disbelief. One popular conservative account summed up the sentiment: “So instead of dealing with the actual sources of inflation, the Harris plan is going to be to continue to pretend price increases are a result of price gouging in an industry with razor-thin margins.”

As the Biden-Harris administration continues to struggle with plummeting approval ratings, Harris’s foray into Soviet-style economic policies may well be the final straw for many voters. Her misguided attempt to control prices by government fiat is not just bad economics it’s a dangerous step toward the kind of central planning that has failed time and again throughout history.

If this is what "Kamalanomics" looks like, the American people should brace themselves for empty shelves and skyrocketing costs.

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