Gallego, Booker, Whitehouse Push Administration to Ensure Tariff Exemptions Actually Result in Lowering Grocery Costs

WASHINGTON– Today,Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ),Cory Booker (D-NJ), andSheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)sent a letter to Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Andrew Ferguson questioning how the Commission is working to ensure grocery companies do not use this Administration’s reckless tariff policies as cover for price gouging and that therecently announced tariff exemptionson coffee, bananas, cocoa, and other tropical products actually result in lower grocery prices.
“It was a necessary but late step to remove these tariffs. However, while eliminating these tariffs reduces costs for grocery importers, we are concerned that consumers may not see the full corresponding price decreases,”the Senators wrote. “We are concerned that the highly concentrated grocery industry – combined with the Trump Administration’s insufficient antitrust and consumer protection enforcement – creates a perfect storm that could enable giant grocery chains to engage in price gouging or other anti-competitive behavior.”
To ensure President Trump’s reckless trade policies are not a “green light” for price gouging, the Senators push the FTC to:
Additionally, the Senators requested answers to the following questions:
You can read the full letterHERE.
Senator Gallegosent twoother lettersthis year urging the FTC to investigate how corporations could be using President Trump’s reckless tariff fluctuations as cover to raise prices beyond their cost increases.
December 18, 2025