Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) defended Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposal to ban price gouging, saying the proposal was consistent with Harris’ values and that some people were going too far.
Harris delivered a policy speech on Friday outlining her economic policy proposals, including the price gouging ban, which many criticized as price controls similar to those in other countries that have failed. Whitmer spoke on NBC News Meet the press argued on Sunday that people were reading too much into the price gouging proposal.
“I think people are reading too much into what’s being said out there. We know that Kamala Harris is going to focus on creating more affordable housing. We know that Kamala Harris has already made health care more accessible and affordable for Americans,” Whitmer said, also praising Harris’ call for an “opportunity economy.”
When asked if she thought Harris’ proposal was a “gimmick,” as many critics of the policy have claimed, Whitmer, a co-chair of Harris’ campaign team, argued that it demonstrated Harris’ “values.”
“I think it’s consistent with Kamala Harris’ values that she wants consumers to keep more money in their pockets. She wants to see hard-working Americans get ahead. She wants to make sure there’s corporate accountability,” Whitmer said.
“We know we need economic growth in this country: growth for small businesses, growth for big businesses to create good-paying jobs. But we also know that you can’t exploit and harm the American consumer just to increase profits. And I think there’s a balance there, and I think that’s what this is about,” Whitmer added.
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Whitmer declined to comment on whether the proposal was a smart policy, but stressed that any idea to reduce costs for citizens is “worth taking the path and having conversations.”
The Democratic Party convention, at which Harris is expected to accept the party’s nomination in a prime-time speech on Thursday, begins on Monday in Chicago.
