How will Democrats reduce your grocery bill once they take over Congress? Will rolling back Donald Trump's tariffs make food cheaper?

A shopper in Georgia could pay less for the same cart of groceries without the store changing a single price tag. Under a proposal from Keisha Lance Bottoms, local governments could get the option to cut or eliminate their grocery sales tax. It’s one of several ideas Democrats are putting forward after winning both chambers of Congress in the US midterm elections. The Georgia proposal is local, but it illustrates a national question: How much of the grocery bill can lawmakers actually change? The answer depends on which part of the bill they’re trying to bring down.

Could a state tax cut lower your grocery bill first?

A local grocery tax cut would show up at checkout once it took effect. Georgia would first have to give municipalities the authority Bottoms proposed. Local officials would then have to use it. The savings would depend on where you shop and which products qualify.

Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has proposed a different approach. She wants to crack down on price gouging and what she calls predatory surveillance pricing, where retailers use personal data to set prices. Any savings would be harder to predict than with a tax cut. Much would depend on what the law prohibits and how it’s enforced.

Would rolling back Donald Trump’s tariffs make food cheaper?

It could bring down costs for some foods. Due to tariffs imposed on certains good, it has become much costlier to import them. These heavy tariffs can even influence the price of products which are being made in US if the producers depend in importing parts of machine and packaging items. Rolling back the tariffs could bring a relief to both businesses and customers.

Even a tariff rollback would leave other costs in place. The Iran war pushed up fuel prices, making food more expensive to ship. Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz also affected fertilizer supplies. A supermarket may have little room to cut a price if its suppliers are still paying more to grow food and move it.

How could Democrats help families afford groceries now?

Texas Democrat James Talarico has pledged to defend SNAP and WIC. Those federal nutrition programs help eligible households pay for food. Protecting benefits would help some families stretch their budgets, even if their neighbors see no change in shelf prices.

Other Democrats want to change how grocers do business. Kansas Democrat Adam Hamilton backs a national ban on dynamic pricing in grocery stores. North Carolina Democrat Roy Cooper has pledged to oppose food industry mergers he believes would drive up prices. Both proposals aim to prevent certain price increases. Neither comes with a date when shoppers can expect a smaller bill.

Can Congress deliver grocery relief after the US midterms?

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told NPR that affordability would be a priority in January. Democrats can bring bills to the floor. They lack the votes to overcome a Senate filibuster on their own, and President Donald Trump can veto legislation.

Shoppers may be less patient than lawmakers. In a September poll from The Kitchen Table Project and Global Strategy Group, nearly half of respondents said their top goal was a lower grocery bill within six months.

FAQs

Will grocery prices drop when Democrats take over Congress?

Democrats is going to take charge in January and after that also it may take time for Congress to act. So one can expect a a lower grocery bil but it is not a guarantee.

Would a grocery tax cut change shelf prices?

No. It would reduce the tax charged at checkout on eligible purchases.