Minnesota Republicans voice support for price gouging

St. Paul, Minnesota — Imagine going to the store to buy a pack of toilet paper and seeing the cost has risen to over $20 from the previous day for no apparent reason. Or imagine going to a hotel because a major winter storm knocked out the power and your family is freezing only to find the rooms at $1,000 a night. For many in the last year, these situations aren't just hypothetical.

House DFLers are working on a proposal that would ban this type of price gouging. This isn’t a situation where prices rise to meet demand, this is about taking advantage of emergencies for a quick buck and making essential products available to only the wealthy.

This proposal seems rather common-sense, doesn’t it? Apparently not so for Minnesota Republicans. In a recent committee hearing, Republicans not only unanimously voted against this measure but advocated for price gouging as a way to regulate the market.

That is simply wrong. Every Minnesotan deserves access to the things they need to survive. Your income shouldn’t predetermine whether you’re worthy of essential products. Minnesotans deserve to not just survive, but thrive — through this pandemic and beyond. House DFLers will keep working to build a better future for all Minnesotans, no exceptions. 

Read more about DFL representatives’ bill to prohibit price gouging here.

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