Martin Heinrich
02/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/19/2026 13:04
Heinrich Cosponsors Legislation to Stop Grocery Price Gouging
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) cosponsored the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act of 2026, legislation that will prohibit corporations from leveraging new technologies to increase grocery costs for New Mexicans.
Corporations collect and purchase Americans' personal data to create a detailed profile of consumers. This data, coupled with mobile apps, electronic shelf labels, facial recognition, and other biometric technology, allows companies to charge different people different prices for the same item; this is often referred to as surveillance pricing. Additionally, some of the nation's largest grocery chains appear poised to implement the widespread use of electronic shelf labels - a technology that allows stores to change the price of an item in a matter of seconds from a remote location that will almost certainly enable surveillance pricing schemes. This is happening at a time when New Mexicans are already struggling to afford food and everyday household items.
The Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act will protect New Mexico families from corporate price gouging at the grocery store by:
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Prohibiting surveillance pricing in grocery stores;
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Requiring grocery stores to disclose the use of facial recognition technology;
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Banning electronic shelf labels in large grocery stores; and
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Establishing an enforcement mechanism to hold corporations accountable.
The Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act is led by U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). Alongside Heinrich, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
The bill is endorsed by The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
Full bill text is available here.
Heinrich has fought hard to lower costs for working families and ensure New Mexicans are able to put food on the table.
Last month, Heinrich cosponsored the No Tariffs on Groceries Act, legislation to prevent President Trump from enacting tariffs that raise grocery costs for New Mexico families.
Heinrich also reintroduced the COLAs Don't Count Act, bicameral legislation to exempt annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) from impacting the benefits of those who utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for food assistance.
Last November, Heinrich cosponsored legislation to stop the Trump Administration from illegally withholding SNAP funds during Trump's recent government shutdown. To that end, Heinrich also supported the New Mexico state government's plan to fund SNAP benefits during Trump's shutdown. Once the federal government reopened, Heinrich joined his colleagues in the New Mexico Congressional delegation in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to refund New Mexico for Trump's shutdown food stamps lapse.
As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Heinrich fully funded SNAP and increased funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) by $603 million.
Last July, Heinrich voted against Republicans' Big, Bad Bill, which funds tax handouts for billionaires at the expense of working families by cutting SNAP and Medicaid. At that time, Senate Republicans also voted down Heinrich's amendments to protect funding for food assistance.
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Martin Heinrich published this content on February 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 19, 2026 at 19:04 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]