Latest news with #Deluzio
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Capital-Star Q&A: Deluzio on tariffs, the Democratic Party's future, and 'Monopoly Busters'
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio announces his intention to seek a second term during an event in Collier Township on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (Steve Mellon/For the Penn Capital-Star) U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio's (D-Allegheny) successful reelection campaign was one of the lone bright spots for Pennsylvania Democrats in 2024. Republicans in the Keystone State carried the commonwealth's 19 electoral votes which helped propel Donald Trump back into the White House; Dave McCormick unseated the longest serving Democratic senator in Pennsylvania history, Bob Casey; GOP candidates won all three state row offices (attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer), and flipped two U.S. House seats in the process. However, Deluzio's victory in a battleground district over GOP state Rep. Rob Mercuri earned him a second term. He represents a purple region in western Pennsylvania and penned an op-ed in the New York Times in March saying 'anti-tariff absolutism is a mistake.' Deluzio recently joined U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to speak at rallies in Harrisburg and Bethlehem along the Vermont Independent's 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour, and NBC News reports that he's viewed 'as someone who could be a future statewide candidate' in Pennsylvania. As Democrats continue to chart a path forward to better connect with voters, Deluzio spoke with the Pennsylvania Capital-Star about President Donald Trump's tariff policies, focusing on economic populism, joining the 'Monopoly Busters' caucus, and more. This interview was edited for length and clarity: Capital-Star: In November, you were elected to serve your second term in Congress. What are your priorities for this session? Deluzio: Well, I think we still have a big opportunity to pass my Railway Safety Act and get rail safety done. This is, I think, an urgent priority for so many of my constituents and people like us who live close to the tracks. And I always bring out this point: I think my Railway Safety Act may have been the only bill that Joe Biden and Donald Trump both agreed about and supported as they were running for president. Senator Vance was even one of my co-sponsors in the Senate. So, I think it's something we can get done. I also want to be clear, the railroads continue to lobby hard against rail safety efforts. There's reporting, even this last week, that they are pushing the Trump administration to roll back the two person minimum staffing requirement that the Biden administration had put out. And so, I highlight that to make the point that the powerful railroads do not want to see us succeed to get rail safety passed. I think we've got to do it to keep us safer from derailments like East Palestine. I also get to a problem I see that is bigger than just one bill. I'm 40 years old, so people my age, around my age, and younger, you know, we're the first Americans, really, since the Second World War, that the data says you shouldn't expect to be better off than your parents and that's really unacceptable to me. I think that goes to the heart of the American dream. I think corruption has had such a big impact on why you have such a corporate stranglehold in our economy, why growth struggles, why people can't make ends meet. And so, I want to take on that corruption, I've been working on congressional stock trading bans. I've got a whole defend democracy agenda around combating corruption, so I'm really going to keep pushing on that. I think it's such a major problem, not just for our economy, but for people's trust in our government. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Capital-Star: President Donald Trump's tariff policies have played a significant role in his second term, thus far. I know most Democrats have been vocal against Trump's tariffs policy. I know you've criticized it at points in time as well, but you did pen an op-ed in the New York Times saying that it was time for Democrats to 'rethink our stance on tariffs.' So I want to ask you, do you think Democrats are making a mistake in how they've talked about tariffs during Trump's second term thus far? Deluzio: I think the Trump tariffs have been really bad and hurtful to American workers and industry, and I think Democrats have been nearly unanimous in condemning them. And you've heard from so many in the business world about how harmful they have been. What I'd like to see is a strong Democratic alternative that yes, will include some targeted enforcement. I'm thinking strategic sectors like ship building or steel against trade cheats like China, paired with real and meaningful industrial policy here at home. That means incentivizing companies to bring that production back home, to incentivize investment from friendly countries to invest here in America and American assembly lines, and you've got to be focused on parts of the economy where there is a national security impact: semiconductor chips was a good example. But we should be thinking about that for steel, for ship building, and any other sector where we need a strong industrial base. I serve on the Armed Services Committee. I will tell you there is round agreement and concern about our defense industrial base's ability to ramp up, if, God forbid, we're ever in another major war. And so these issues of our manufacturing power are not just some academic debates. They have real consequences for our military readiness, and of course, I always connect the dots between what happened in places like western Pennsylvania, whether you're talking about glass manufacturing in the A-K Valley, steelmaking all along the Ohio River in my district. Trade really hurt communities, like many that I represent, and I don't ever want to see us go back to just a race to the bottom. We've got to get this right for American workers and American jobs. Capital-Star: Earlier this month, you joined U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders for two of his appearances on his 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour in Pennsylvania. So, why did you decide to join him for those events that were outside of your district? Deluzio: I think what you're seeing is a lot of frustration with some Republican members of Congress. Scott Perry's district was one in particular, I joined, for their willingness to push these dangerous and harmful cuts to Medicaid to support this Republican, partisan tax bill that would saddle all of us with trillions of deficit spending and balloon the debt. And I think it's important. Folks are pretty fired up across the country. They're mad about this corruption that I see in our government, and whether it's congressional stock trading or the outsized influence of corporate money in our politics. They want something to change. And I made the point talking at both of these rallies that whether you call the folks who are running the show oligarchs or robber barons, or, as I might say in western Pennsylvania, corporate jagoffs. We know who we're talking about and their control of our political system. That's not a problem just for one party or one candidate. I think you have to confront this for the sake of American democracy and I'm going to go wherever I can at the means we're going to rebuild trust in our government, and if we're going to fix our economy, so that people who work hard can get by. And to me, that is about making sure that hard working people have a bigger share of the pie and that we can also grow the pie. Capital-Star: Do you think Democrats should be embracing more of the message from Senator Sanders or someone like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez right now? Deluzio: I think the message that I put up on that stage both nights, which was about fighting oligarchy and fighting corruption, is a winning one. It is grounded in patriotism. It is grounded in a belief that if you work hard and play by the rules, you ought to have a shot at the American dream, and we've got to unrig our economy, so that it works for folks. That is a message that is not just good politics, but it's grounded in policies that people want, that we know can work to get more competition in our economy to make it so that people who are working hard can afford their life. I think that's where my party should go. Capital-Star: Although I was unable to cover your appearance with Senator Sanders in both Bethlehem and Harrisburg, I did cover Senator Sanders' appearance in Philadelphia on May Day. He spoke at a rally led by the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, and during that speech, he had an interesting quote, and I wanted to ask you about it. He said 'to my Democratic colleagues in the Congress, stop defending the status quo economically.' Do you think Democrats have been defending the status quo economically? Deluzio: I certainly haven't, because I know, and I think my constituents know that things haven't been working out as well as we should demand that they do. If you're my age or younger, right? So, you're either (in your) early 40s, 30s, 20s, the data suggests you probably won't be better off than your parents. We should never accept that, and we should be clear about the fact that people who are working hard right now struggle to pay for child care, pay for housing, pay for health care, you name it. And we've got big corporate monopolies who have made it too hard for small businesses to compete. None of that should be the status quo we accept, especially when we've lived now through years of supply chain problems and rising prices for people. So no, I don't accept that and I think we have to be clear to connect the dots between those economic problems and the corruption in Washington. And I talk to my constituents, Democrats or Republicans, they hate the corruption that they sense, and congressional stock trading is part of it. I think the Trump administration's willingness to do things like accept a new massive jumbo jet from a foreign government is about this kind of corruption, and so people don't like it, and they shouldn't like it. They should be mad about the state of our economy, and they should want better and I think they do. And whether you're Democrat or Republican, we should be willing to be clear about who's causing these problems and what we're doing about it. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Capital-Star: Last month, you joined a few of your colleagues in launching the Monopoly Busters Caucus. So, I wanted to ask you, why did you decide to join this caucus? Deluzio: Well, I think we've seen the lack of competition really hurt American capitalism. It's bad for workers. It's bad for rising prices, and it's really bad for small businesses. So, I was really honored that I had a couple small business owners join me, a father-son team that runs an independent pharmacy in Aspinwall in Allegheny County, and they shared how their small business really has gotten squeezed by pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs, who are essentially middlemen with lots of power in the healthcare economy. They're vertically integrated, and they really have led to these independent small business pharmacies closing and dying across Pennsylvania and across the country. They've made things worse for people who need the prescription drugs, costs are rising, as we know, and so I think it's really important that you heard from someone like that. These are small business owners who deliver a really critical service, especially to seniors, to get prescription drugs to folks, and how monopoly power is hurting their business, and really how it's hurting all of us in Pennsylvania. Capital-Star: A Fox News national poll and a Reuters poll released last week, but conducted in late April, showed that President Donald Trump's approval rating was 11 points underwater. However, Democrats in that same Fox poll… that the Democrats' approval rating was also double digits in the red. So, how do you think the national Democratic Party has arrived at this point? And what do you think they can do to essentially boost those numbers, even though, again, President Donald Trump's approval rating right now is also in the red? Deluzio: I've been with colleagues of mine in the House, pushing forward what we're calling economic populism, or economic patriotism, which to me, ties together these fights against corruption and this fight to restore the American Dream. I think it's where we got to go. It has to put the economic fight right at the heart of what my party is about. It's got to be unrigging the economy, taking on this corruption, and doing the things in our government to get competition and to make it so that when you're working hard, you can actually afford your life in America. And if you're working hard, you're playing by the rules, you got your shot at the American dream. I think that's where my party has to go. And I think the corruption problem – I talk about congressional stock trading a lot: it is not unique to either party. I think I want to see Democrats be crystal clear about fighting it and fighting the horrible influence of unlimited corporate money in our politics. I think too many have cozied up over the years for that corporate money. It's time to break that hold on our politics and be bold about it.
NBC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
A new divide emerges in the Democratic Party: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, Allan Smith interviews a Democratic congressman from battleground Pennsylvania who's trying to grab the mantle of economic populism. Plus, Megan Lebowitz and Rebecca Shabad recap President Donald Trump's first meeting with Canada's new prime minister, who was boosted by anti-American sentiment in last month's election. — Adam Wollner 🗣️ We want to hear from you! Have a question for the NBC News Politics Desk about the latest from the White House, Congress or the campaign trail? Send your questions to politicsnewsletter@ and we may answer them in a future edition of the newsletter. Fighter vs. 'wimp': Swing-state Democrat sees a new party divide By Allan Smith At one time not so long ago, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was maybe seen as too progressive for most swing-district Democrats to appear with. Not anymore. When Sanders went through Pennsylvania over the weekend, one such Democrat, Rep. Chris Deluzio, was by his side on his 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour. Deluzio argued in an interview that the old intraparty divide of moderate vs. progressive is over. Deluzio has himself straddled that divide at times. But he has also sought to grab the left's mantle of economic populism as he has won two terms in a district just outside of Pittsburgh. Now, in President Donald Trump's second term, he sees the real battle not as between the center and left but as between those who are fighters and those who are passive. Deluzio argued that more populist positioning, citing his own push for an anti-corruption, anti-corporate and anti-monopoly platform, 'is uniting more Democrats across the old ideological labels who understand that one, now is not the time to be a wimp, and that two, we've got to put the economic fight front and center.' That Deluzio, who represents a D+3 district, according to the Cook Political Report, would appear with Sanders would've raised eyebrows in past cycles. He said that, while he's not sure how many Democratic officials feel differently about appearing on the trail with Sanders now, he doesn't see much difference between his messaging and Sanders'. Appearing with him in Harrisburg and Bethlehem over the weekend — on the other side of the state from his congressional district — Deluzio railed against 'bootlicker politicians,' 'the oligarchs in the White House and the boardroom' and 'these phony patriots' he sees 'waging a war on the American Dream.' And he called on Democrats to rally around a congressional stock trading ban as part of an anti-corruption push. 'Donald Trump understood that anger,' Deluzio said in Bethlehem of working-class disenchantment with the status quo. 'He saw that wound in the American psyche. What does he offer? Snake oil of hate, division and autocracy. That's not the way forward. We're here to call out that bulls---.' By Megan Lebowitz and Rebecca Shabad President Donald Trump's first meeting with Canada's new prime minister was far less confrontational than his interactions with the country's previous leader, Justin Trudeau, even as Mark Carney reiterated that there is no way the country will become part of the United States. 'As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale,' said Carney, a former banker whose electoral victory last month was fueled in part by backlash to Trump's annexation and tariff agenda for Canada. Asked later what was going through his mind during Trump's remarks inside the Oval Office, Carney said, 'I'm glad that you couldn't tell what was going through my mind.' 'The president has made known his wish about that issue for some time,' Carney told reporters at the Canadian Embassy in downtown Washington. 'I've been careful always to distinguish between wish and reality. I was clear there in the Oval Office, as I've been clear throughout on behalf of Canadians, that this is never going to happen. Canada is not for sale. It never will be for sale.' Carney also told reporters he asked Trump to stop saying he wants Canada to become the 51st state. The two leaders complimented each other multiple times during the meeting, a stark contrast from Trump's icy relationship with Trudeau, whom he regularly taunted as 'Governor Trudeau.' Trump said that he had 'a lot of respect' for Carney and that 'we're going to be friends with Canada.' And Carney said, 'I feel better about the relations.' But it remains to be seen whether the comity will last and whether Carney will be able to use the initial goodwill to turn down some of Trump's pressure on his country when it comes to trade and Canada's sovereignty. Even as Carney insisted his country would never be for sale, Trump replied, 'Never say never.' Trump also told reporters that there was nothing Carney could say during their meeting that would persuade him to lift the tariffs. Asked why, he said, 'That's just the way it is.'
NBC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Fighters vs wimps: Swing-state Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio sees a new divide in the party
At one time not so long ago, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was maybe seen as too progressive for most swing-district Democrats to appear with. Not anymore. When Sanders went through Pennsylvania over the weekend, one such Democrat, Rep. Chris Deluzio, was by his side on his ' Fighting Oligarchy ' tour. In an interview Monday with NBC News, Deluzio argued that the old intraparty divide of moderate vs. progressive is over. Deluzio has himself straddled that split at times. But he's also sought to grab the left's mantle of economic populism as he's won two terms in a district just outside of Pittsburgh. Now, amid President Donald Trump's second term, he sees the real battle not between the center and left but between fighters and wimps. Deluzio argued that more populist positioning, citing his own push for an anti-corruption, anti-corporate and anti-monopoly platform, 'is uniting more Democrats across the old ideological labels who understand that one, now is not the time to be a wimp, and that two, we've got to put the economic fight front and center.' That Deluzio, who represents a D+3 district, according to the Cook Political Report, would appear with Sanders would've raised eyebrows in past cycles. The congressman said that, while he's not sure how many Democratic officials feel differently about appearing on the trail with Sanders now, he doesn't see much difference between his messaging and the Vermont senator's. Appearing with him in Harrisburg and Bethlehem over the weekend — on the other side of the state from his congressional district — Deluzio railed against 'bootlicker politicians,' 'the oligarchs in the White House and the boardroom' and 'these phony patriots' he sees 'waging a war on the American Dream.' And he called on Democrats to rally around a congressional stock trading ban as part of an anti-corruption push. 'Donald Trump understood that anger,' Deluzio said in Bethlehem of working-class disenchantment with the status quo. 'He saw that wound in the American psyche. What does he offer? Snake oil of hate, division and autocracy. That's not the way forward. We're here to call out that bulls---.' In the early days of Trump's administration, Democrats were divided over how strongly to combat Trump, with some feeling the anti-Trump 'resistance' of his first term contributed to his comeback the second time around. Yet as the president has moved to quickly enact his agenda of deconstructing the civil service, slashing federal funding to an array of programs and enacting sweeping global tariffs, many in the party have shifted. 'It's not so much ideological, right?' Deluzio said in the interview. 'It's about style, and, of course, it is about substance too. Across the ideological spectrum from Sen. Sanders to Sen. [Elissa] Slotkin and anybody else who's weighed in here, I think you're seeing a pretty clear consensus among Democrats who get this, that you've got to be tough … You've got to be clear about who you're fighting against.' Slotkin, D-Mich., had pushed back recently on using the 'oligarchy' framing to argue against Trump and his agenda, saying that many Americans don't understand what an oligarchy — a form of government where power is held by a small group of people — is. Sanders hit back, telling NBC News' ' Meet the Press ' that Americans 'are not quite as dumb as Ms. Slotkin thinks they are.' But Deluzio doesn't think there is much of a divide there. 'Sen. Slotkin is someone who gets and has talked aggressively about Democrats needing this alpha energy, as she says, as Democrats should be fighting,' he said. 'So I actually think it's less of a division than some have reported it. … Whether you're using 'oligarch,' 'robber baron' or 'corporate jagoff,' we know who we're talking about. The American people know who we're talking about here.' Deluzio came under fire from some party activists and allies last month when House Democrats promoted a video of him on X describing how tariffs can be part of a plan to boost American manufacturing just two days after Trump announced his sweeping global tariffs that sparked a market selloff. 'I don't think there's much of a divide about Trump's tariffs being really dangerous and hurtful,' he said in the interview. 'We have to be able to say that, and actually I think it's pretty powerful, coming from the Rust Belt, coming from Western Pennsylvania, that I can say that clearly. And then, I think we have to articulate, 'well, what do we want to do differently?' And for me, yes, targeted enforcement against countries like China and sectors like steel and ship-building, that's part of it.' 'You also need the industrial policy at home,' he continued. 'You need the incentives for American companies to invest here, and foreign companies to invest, and that is completely lacking in Trump's trade approach. So I think Democrats have to articulate what we would do differently, too.' Deluzio is seen as someone who could be a future statewide candidate in Pennsylvania. He spoke with NBC News days after New York Magazine offered an in-depth story on Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., where staffers alleged that his recovery from a stroke and subsequent mental health episodes has taken a step backward, causing internal tension with his team and even his wife, Gisele. Asked if he believed Fetterman can continue serving the state in the Senate, Deluzio said he would wait to render judgment until Fetterman addressed the story. 'Number one, I want him to be healthy, and he's been pretty honest so far about his struggles and treatment,' Deluzio said. 'I want to give him a chance to respond, and I haven't seen him say anything yet, so I want to give him a chance to do that.' After the interview, Fetterman told NBC News on Tuesday morning that the story was built on 'one source' with 'a couple anonymous sources,' describing it as a 'hit piece from a very left publication.' 'There's really nothing more to say about it,' he added.
NBC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Fighters vs wimps: Swing-state Democrat Rep. Chris Deluzio sees a new divide in the party
At one time not so long ago, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was maybe seen as too progressive for most swing-district Democrats to appear with. Not anymore. When Sanders went through Pennsylvania over the weekend, one such Democrat, Rep. Chris Deluzio, was by his side on his ' Fight Oligarchy ' tour. In an interview Monday with NBC News, Deluzio argued that the old intraparty divide of moderate vs. progressive is over. Deluzio has himself straddled that split at times. But he's also sought to grab the left's mantle of economic populism as he's won two terms in a district just outside of Pittsburgh. Now, amid President Donald Trump's second term, he sees the real battle not between the center and left but between fighters and wimps. Deluzio argued that more populist positioning, citing his own push for an anti-corruption, anti-corporate and anti-monopoly platform, 'is uniting more Democrats across the old ideological labels who understand that one, now is not the time to be a wimp, and that two, we've got to put the economic fight front and center.' That Deluzio, who represents a D+3 district, according to the Cook Political Report, would appear with Sanders would've raised eyebrows in past cycles. The congressman said that, while he's not sure how many Democratic officials feel differently about appearing on the trail with Sanders now, he doesn't see much difference between his messaging and the Vermont senator's. Appearing with him in Harrisburg and Bethlehem over the weekend — on the other side of the state from his congressional district — Deluzio railed against 'bootlicker politicians,' 'the oligarchs in the White House and the boardroom' and 'these phony patriots' he sees 'waging a war on the American Dream.' And he called on Democrats to rally around a congressional stock trading ban as part of an anti-corruption push. 'Donald Trump understood that anger,' Deluzio said in Bethlehem of working-class disenchantment with the status quo. 'He saw that wound in the American psyche. What does he offer? Snake oil of hate, division and autocracy. That's not the way forward. We're here to call out that bulls---.' In the early days of Trump's administration, Democrats were divided over how strongly to combat Trump, with some feeling the anti-Trump 'resistance' of his first term contributed to his comeback the second time around. Yet as the president has moved to quickly enact his agenda of deconstructing the civil service, slashing federal funding to an array of programs and enacting sweeping global tariffs, many in the party have shifted. 'It's not so much ideological, right?' Deluzio said in the interview. 'It's about style, and, of course, it is about substance too. Across the ideological spectrum from Sen. Sanders to Sen. [Elissa] Slotkin and anybody else who's weighed in here, I think you're seeing a pretty clear consensus among Democrats who get this, that you've got to be tough … You've got to be clear about who you're fighting against.' Slotkin, D-Mich., had pushed back recently on using the 'oligarchy' framing to argue against Trump and his agenda, saying that many Americans don't understand what an oligarchy — a form of government where power is held by a small group of people — is. Sanders hit back, telling NBC News' ' Meet the Press ' that Americans 'are not quite as dumb as Ms. Slotkin thinks they are.' But Deluzio doesn't think there is much of a divide there. 'Sen. Slotkin is someone who gets and has talked aggressively about Democrats needing this alpha energy, as she says, as Democrats should be fighting,' he said. 'So I actually think it's less of a division than some have reported it. … Whether you're using 'oligarch,' 'robber baron' or 'corporate jagoff,' we know who we're talking about. The American people know who we're talking about here.' Deluzio came under fire from some party activists and allies last month when House Democrats promoted a video of him on X describing how tariffs can be part of a plan to boost American manufacturing just two days after Trump announced his sweeping global tariffs that sparked a market selloff. 'I don't think there's much of a divide about Trump's tariffs being really dangerous and hurtful,' he said in the interview. 'We have to be able to say that, and actually I think it's pretty powerful, coming from the Rust Belt, coming from Western Pennsylvania, that I can say that clearly. And then, I think we have to articulate, 'well, what do we want to do differently?' And for me, yes, targeted enforcement against countries like China and sectors like steel and ship-building, that's part of it.' 'You also need the industrial policy at home,' he continued. 'You need the incentives for American companies to invest here, and foreign companies to invest, and that is completely lacking in Trump's trade approach. So I think Democrats have to articulate what we would do differently, too.' Deluzio is seen as someone who could be a future statewide candidate in Pennsylvania. He spoke with NBC News days after New York Magazine offered an in-depth story on Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., where staffers alleged that his recovery from a stroke and subsequent mental health episodes has taken a step backward, causing internal tension with his team and even his wife, Gisele. Asked if he believed Fetterman can continue serving the state in the Senate, Deluzio said he would wait to render judgment until Fetterman addressed the story. 'Number one, I want him to be healthy, and he's been pretty honest so far about his struggles and treatment,' Deluzio said. 'I want to give him a chance to respond, and I haven't seen him say anything yet, so I want to give him a chance to do that.' After the interview, Fetterman told NBC News on Tuesday morning that the story was built on 'one source' with 'a couple anonymous sources,' describing it as a 'hit piece from a very left publication.' 'There's really nothing more to say about it,' he added.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers form new ‘Monopoly Busters Caucus'
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – A group of lawmakers have come together to flip the board on an economy they say is controlled by monopolies, where a few major players control everything from groceries to health care, while everyday Americans struggle just to pass 'go.' The caucus is pushing for tougher enforcement and economic reform to protect families. 'The fact that these companies have a corporate monopoly is un-American,' said Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.). New York Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan is sounding the alarm on major companies taking over businesses in his home state. 'We're talking about the growing consolidation of corporate power in a bunch of parts of people's lives, which is making life that's already tough enough, that's making it essentially unaffordable for folks in my district,' said Ryan. Ryan and other Democrats joined together to form the Monopoly Busters Caucus. 'Monopoly power, this out-of-control corporate power, has been killing the American dream,' said Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.). Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio said these corporations have impacted the price of housing, gas, groceries, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. 'The same corporation might own a pharmacy, an insurer, a provider and a PBM. Have every incentive to rip people off to hurt small businesses like pharmacies, to make it harder for Americans across this country to get the medicine they need,' said Deluzio. Deluzio says too many in Washington aren't pushing back against these companies, as the economy weighs down on everyday Americans. 'Too long, too many down here turned a blind eye to this corporate power,' said Deluzio. Over at the White House, the president signed an executive order to ensure regulations don't block new businesses from competing in the market. Deluzio and Ryan are urging their Republican colleagues in Congress to join them on this issue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
