Foster Votes to Lower Food and Fuel Costs for Illinois Families

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) voted for the bipartisan Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act: legislation that will help bring down prices in the grocery aisle and at the gas pump by giving American farmers the support they need to thrive.

"I was proud to vote for additional strong action to bring down costs for working families in Illinois," said Foster. "By lowering costs for America's farmers and reducing anti-competitive practices by meatpacking conglomerates, this legislation would lower food costs for American families. This bill would also expand access to lower-cost E-15 Gasoline and tap the power of American farmers to help break the grip of foreign autocrats weaponizing the price of oil and gas."

The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act takes three steps to lower costs for America's families:

Lower Fertilizer Costs in the Field to Lower Food Prices in the Grocery Store.Russia and Ukraine are major global producers of key components of fertilizer, and Putin's war has dramatically driven up the costs of fertilizer for American farmers – in turn, driving up prices in the grocery store too. The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act reduces our dependence on foreign fertilizer production and includes two bipartisan bills to help American farmers lower their costs with $500 million in USDA funds as well as loan guarantees to pay for solutions, including precision agriculture, to use fertilizers more efficiently.

Lower Meat and Poultry Costs by Increasing Meatpacking Competition and Capacity. Unfair, anti-competitive practices by the major meatpacking conglomerates who dominate the market are driving up the price of meat and poultry in the supermarket while lowering prices that farmers receive for their crops. The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act strengthens competition in the meat and poultry sector and alleviates the supply chain bottlenecks that let meatpacking conglomerates set bad prices for producers and consumers alike. The bill includes the bipartisan Butcher Block Act to expand and create new meat processing capacity and options to market cattle, as well as the bipartisan Meat & Poultry Special Investigator Act, establishing a USDA Special Investigator for Competition Matters with new powers to swiftly crack down on anti-competitive practices by meatpacking conglomerates in violation of the long-standing Packers and Stockyards Act.

Lower Prices at the Pump by Making Cheaper, Cleaner E-15 gasoline More Available. This legislation expands access to E-15 gasoline: a cleaner, typically cheaper fuel option that costs on average approximately 40 cents less per gallon, emits less carbon pollution and burns cleaner than regular gas. The bill includes the bipartisan Year-Round Fuel Choice Act, which builds on the Biden Administration's action allowing for the voluntary year-round sale of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol, known as E-15. The bill also includes the bipartisan Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Investment and Market Expansion Act, which invests $200 million to help deploy additional storage and dispensing equipment to ensure that higher ethanol blends, biodiesel, sustainable aviation fuel and other biofuels are more readily available across the country.