Today, Congressman Mike Lawler introduced the Measuring Adverse Market Disruption And National Impact (MAMDANI) Act. This legislation instructs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to study the impacts of government-owned grocery stores on competition, economics, and supply chains.
The bill responds to proposals in various municipalities, including some in New York, considering public grocery stores. It seeks an FTC investigation into how these stores might affect local private-sector grocers using taxpayer funds.
The MAMDANI Act requires the FTC, with USDA agencies’ help, to evaluate potential effects on food prices, consumer access, farmers, charitable organizations, and the retail grocery market’s health.
“Government-run grocery stores raise serious questions about market fairness and taxpayer accountability,” said Congressman Lawler. “The MAMDANI Act ensures we carefully assess the potential impacts of such proposals before public funds are committed or they risk undermining local businesses and disrupting supply chains, ultimately leaving consumers worse off,” he added.
The bill mandates an analysis of how public grocery stores could impact producer prices and purchasing power in food supply chains. It also questions whether these initiatives address food deserts or add government inefficiency layers. The goal is for policymakers to understand consequences before adopting such proposals.
The FTC will submit its findings in a public report to Congress annually with recommendations for legislative or regulatory action.
“Zohran Mamdani’s push for government-owned grocery stores is straight out of the Marxist playbook, and history shows exactly how this experiment ends. New Yorkers deserve solutions, not socialist fantasies that have failed spectacularly every time they’ve been tried,” concluded Congressman Lawler.
Congressman Lawler represents New York’s 17th Congressional District north of New York City. He was rated as one of the most effective freshman lawmakers in the 118th Congress.
