Paying too much? State AGs gather in Greenwich for 'Driving Down Costs' summit
"Driving Down Costs for American Families" is the theme for a bipartisan summit of state attorneys general being held in Greenwich this week.
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It’s rare that Democrats and Republicans work together on much these days.
But this week, a bipartisan group of state attorneys general are gathering in Greenwich.
The goal?
Saving you money.
“CLAM CHOWDER WAS $15.99”
Paying too much for groceries? How about concert tickets, prescription drugs or even a cup of clam chowder?
It happened to Connecticut Attorney General William Tong recently.
“A bowl of clam chowder was $15.99, which is crazy,” he said.
That’s why Tong, who leads the National Association of Attorneys General, is hosting the group's Driving Down Costs for American Families summit.
In a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich, economists and industry groups are breaking down market trends in housing, energy and food.
“We just had a discussion about protein – beef, chicken, pork – and why those prices are spiking and what we can do about it,” Tong said.
FIGHT FOR AFFORDABILITY
In the fight for affordability, state attorneys general are becoming the front-line soldiers.
“The AGs can bring cases; they can investigate,” said Matt Stoller, the research director at the American Economic Liberties Project. “One example would be Ticketmaster.”
Connecticut and nearly three dozen states sued Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation. In April, a jury found that the company overcharged customers by violating federal and state antitrust laws.
Now, states are asking a judge to break up the company.
“Everybody knows that Ticketmaster overcharges and pushes all sorts of things to consumers on one side, and then they underpay artists on the other side” Stoller said.
Live Nation plans to appeal.
“The jury’s verdict is not the last word on this matter. Pending motions will determine whether the liability and damages rulings stand,” the entertainment giant said in a statement.
States continued the lawsuit even though the U.S. Justice Department settled with Live Nation – just weeks after CEO Michael Rapino met with President Donald Trump, the company revealed in court documents.
The Justice Dept. defended the deal.
“For the first time ever, Live Nation will allow artists to use other promoters at Live Nation venues," DOJ said in a statement. "This means an artist is no longer tied to using Live Nation’s promotional service if they want to play at a particular venue. For fans, there will be a service fee cap for concerts at amphitheaters and new ways to obtain tickets on a variety of platforms."
Attorneys general said they are taking on more national cases as the Trump administration rolls back federal oversight.
“Congress was supposed to be a check and balance on the executive,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, a frequent target of Trump’s. “Unfortunately, they have not stepped up and done much.”
BIPARTISAN SUMMIT
Attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia – 10 Democrats and six Republicans – are attending.
There are deep political divides.
But when it comes to kitchen table issues, both sides said they can accomplish more working together.
“We have a lot of cases where we’re on opposite sides of an issue, but we’ve also got a lot of issues where we work together on a bipartisan basis,” said John Formella, New Hampshire’s Republican attorney general.
In our region, that’s especially true on electric bills. Both blue and red states are concerned about the Millstone nuclear plant in Waterford being sold.
“We want to make sure, if there’s a transaction involving Millstone, that it doesn't drive up electricity prices even more,” Tong said.
His GOP counterpart agreed.
“We can intervene in proceedings before FERC [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission],” Formella said. “We can talk to each other through NECPUC; that’s the New England PUC [Public Utilities Commission] group.”
