Welch Joins Democratic Leader Schumer to Unveil New Bill to Break Up the Meatpacking Industry, Drive Down Food Costs for Families

Mar 5, 2026
Legislation comes as grocery prices skyrocket and Trump mocks affordability as a “hoax”
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today,U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.),a member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock,Dairy,Poultry,and Food Safety, joinedSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)andAmerican Economic Liberties Projectfor a press conference at the National Press Club to unveil theFamily Grocery and Farmer Relief Act, new legislation to address record-high grocery prices squeezing American families.
As President Trump mocks affordability as a “hoax,” Senate Democrats are using all tools available to tackle the high cost of living, focusing on the issues that matter to everyday Americans. The newFamily Grocery and Farmer Relief Actwould break up dominant meatpackers, rein in foreign-controlled corporate giants, and use federal tools to stop unfair pricing that drives up grocery bills for American families and hurts workers, farmers, and ranchers.
“At the root of the raging affordability crisis is consolidation, which is hollowing out our communities in rural Vermont. It’s totally unsustainable, and it’s clear the Trump Administration will keep refusing to take action. Congress has an obligation to step in,”said Senator Welch.“Democrats believe that those who create the wealth should get a reasonable share of the wealth they created. I’m proud to be a co-sponsor of this legislation to break up the meatpacking industry, put American small businesses and companies first, and take on rising grocery costs head-on.”
View photos from the eventbelow:
TheFamily Grocery and Farmer Relief Act, isa competition driven, pro-farmer, pro-rancher, pro-worker, pro-consumer, cost of living bill that breaks up dominant meatpackers, reins in foreign controlled corporate giants, and uses all available tools to stop unfair pricing that drives up grocery bills for American families. It is designed to turn big structural reforms into concrete benefits: more competition and greater fairness for farmers and ranchers, more resilient supply chains, and lower prices and better choices at the meat counter.
Specifically, theFamily Grocery and Farmer Relief Act:
Joining Senators Welch and Schumer on this legislation are Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Learn moreabout theFamily Grocery and Farmer Relief Act.
Read and downloadthe full text of the legislation.
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