Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, a founding member of the Lowering Costs Caucus and the Monopoly Busters Caucus, helped introduce the Price Gouging Prevention Act, bicameral legislation to fight against corporate abuses of power enabled by the Trump Administration’s chaotic tariff policies. This bill would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general new tools to enforce a federal ban against grossly excessive price increases. This legislation is led by Reps. Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-11), and Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).

“The cost crisis is keeping hardworking Americans from achieving their dreams, and President Trump’s chaotic and unlawful trade wars are only making sky-high costs worse,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “I am proud to introduce the Price Gouging Prevention Act to put an end to corporate price gouging and ensure every Granite Stater is getting a fair deal, whether it’s at the grocery store or the gas pump.”

The Price Gouging Prevention Act of 2025 would help the federal government and state attorneys general fight corporate price gouging. The bill would:  

• Prohibit price gouging at the federal level—anytime and anywhere. The bill would clarify that price gouging is an unfair and deceptive practice under the FTC Act. It would allow the FTC and state attorneys general to stop sellers from charging a grossly excessive price, regardless of where the price gouging occurs in a supply chain or distribution network;

• Help enforcers establish when price gouging is occurring during a significant shift in trade policy. The bill lists a set of exceptional market shocks—including an “abrupt or significant shift in trade policy”—and outlines a standard for a presumptive violation of the price gouging prohibition during such a shock, such as when companies brag about increasing prices;

• Create an affirmative defense for small businesses acting in good faith. Small and local businesses sometimes must raise prices in response to crisis-driven increases in their costs because they have little negotiating power with their price-gouging suppliers. This affirmative defense protects small businesses earning less than $100 million from frivolous litigation if they show legitimate cost increases;

• Require public companies to clearly disclose costs and pricing strategies. During periods of exceptional market shock, the bill requires public companies to transparently disclose and explain changes in their cost of goods sold, gross margins, and pricing strategies in their quarterly SEC filings; and

• Provide additional funding to the FTC to carry out its work. 

Congresswoman Goodlander has dedicated her life to fighting for the people of New Hampshire. Before taking the oath of office, she served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice, where she took on the corporate monopolies hurting NH’s small businesses and held them accountable for jacking up prices and making life harder for Granite Staters. 

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