Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – This week, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) voted to pass two pieces of legislation to ease the burden of rising costs on Pennsylvania families and small businesses. The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act will lower fertilizer costs in the field to lower food prices in the grocery store, lower meat and poultry costs by increasing competition and capacity, and lower prices at the pump by making cheaper, cleaner fuel more available. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which already passed in the Senate and is now on its way to President Biden’s desk, will ensure American consumers aren’t overcharged and American products aren’t left on the dock. 

“Across the globe, inflation continues to put a serious burden on people’s finances, whether filling up at the pump or grocery shopping for the week. I’m focused on doing all I can to bring costs down for American families and businesses,” said Rep. Scanlon. “These two bills passed by the House this week are a step in the right direction. By cracking down on unfair, anti-competitive practices in both the shipping and agriculture industries, we can help drive prices back down.”

The last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to drastic fluctuations in prices for farmers and consumers, ranging from the field to the grocery aisle. The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act addresses key pieces of those supply chains. The bill will:

• Shore up the food and agriculture supply chain. Russia and Ukraine are major global producers of key components of fertilizer, and Putin’s war has dramatically driven up the costs of fertilizer for American farmers, in turn, driving up prices in the grocery store too.  The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act reduces U.S. dependence on foreign fertilizer production and includes bipartisan bills to help American farmers lower their costs with USDA funds as well as loan guarantees to pay for solutions, including precision agriculture, to use fertilizers more efficiently. 
• Assure fair competition in the meat and poultry sectors. Unfair, anti-competitive practices by the major meatpacking conglomerates who dominate the market are driving up the price of meat and poultry in the supermarket even as many of the men and women who raise the beef, pork, and chicken are forced to accept prices that make it almost impossible to make ends meet. The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act strengthens competition in the meat and poultry sector and alleviates the supply chain bottlenecks that let meatpacking conglomerates set bad prices for producers and consumers alike.
• Lower gasoline costs. Unleaded 88 or E-15, which contains homegrown American ethanol, is typically a cleaner, cheaper fuel option that costs (on average) approximately 40 cents less per gallon, emits less carbon pollution, and burns cleaner than regular gas. The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act expands access to Unleaded 88 and helps deploy storage and dispensing equipment for higher ethanol blends, biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel.

Foreign-based shipping companies have driven up costs by impeding the ability of American farmers and small businesses to get their products to market. Exporters and importers continue to face unpredictable shipping itineraries, rising freight costs, and even refusal by shipping companies to carry American cargo. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act will help level the playing field by empowering the Federal Maritime Commission to strengthen oversight of the shipping market and lower costs for consumers. This legislation will:

• Boost funding for the Federal Maritime Commission. 
• Combat exorbitant shipping costs by strengthening Federal Maritime Commission enforcement action against exploitative business practices.
• Ensure fairness in shipping by improving transparency and prohibiting ocean carriers from unreasonably refusing to transport American cargo.

Both pieces of legislation build on House Democrats’ ongoing work to strengthen supply chains and bring down costs for working families. The House previously passed the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act to combat Big Oil’s excessive gas price hikes, and earlier this year, passed the America COMPETES Act to strengthen the United States’ broken supply chains and prevent good shortages. Additionally, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivered $17 billion in funding for the United States’ ports and waterways — the largest-ever federal investment in port infrastructure.

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