Main Street Competition Coalition

05/22/2026

State attorneys general don't wait for Washington.

Ahead of the DAGA Summer Policy Conference in Milwaukee, MSCC Executive Director Chris Jones sits down with Elizabeth Odette, Assistant Attorney General in Minnesota's Antitrust Division and Chair of the NAAG Multistate Antitrust Task Force, to talk about what Democratic AGs are focused on in 2026: market power, affordability, and how Main Street businesses can engage with AG offices on competition enforcement.

Tuesday, May 26 | 1:00–2:00 PM ET | Open to members and prospective members.

Register here: https://ujajm.share.hsforms.com/2NvNQuLIgRWue_OhvF0OVpw

05/21/2026

One week in. Two wins.

The Main Street Competes Act just cleared the House Small Business Committee, unanimous and bipartisan. The bill refocuses the Small Business Administration on competitive markets so small businesses, family farms, and consumers aren't left behind.

Tuesday, we led a stakeholder letter urging more funding for FTC and DOJ antitrust enforcement. Wednesday, H.R. 8882 is out of committee.

Thanks to Reps. Derek Schmidt (R-KS) and Hillary Scholten (D-MI) for carrying this bill, and to every member of the Committee who voted yes.

Now we're calling on Majority Leader Steve Scalise to put this on the next suspension calendar. Time for the full House to vote.

05/19/2026

The Main Street Competition Coalition and our allies sent a letter to Congress today asking for full funding of America's antitrust enforcers.

The ask: $313 million for the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and $487.4 million for the Federal Trade Commission in FY 2027.

Why this matters for Main Street: your local independent businesses and the farmer down the road can't take on dominant corporations alone. They depend on the FTC and the Justice Department to enforce the rules. Right now, those agencies don't have the resources to keep up.

Since 2010, the U.S. economy has grown 37 percent. Funding for antitrust enforcement has grown 3 percent. That's how concentration keeps building, prices keep climbing, and small businesses keep getting squeezed out.
The Coalition launched last Thursday at the National Press Club with bipartisan keynotes to kick us off, including Rep. Mike Rulli (R-OH) and former FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya.

Read today's letter and learn more at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NUlxU5t5Cu3NnaaiL_UtDmIuT9eOWghTFOmJZWFPhgo/edit?tab=t.0

05/15/2026

"If Main Street organizes around a shared vision for competitive markets, we become extraordinarily powerful."
— Chris Jones, Executive Director, MSCC

Yesterday, the Main Street Competition Coalition held its official launch event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The MSCC is the first business-backed coalition built to pursue a broad agenda against market power abuses affecting Main Street: grocers, pharmacists, farmers, franchisees, and independent businesses across the economy. At its founding core are two of the most trusted voices in independent business, the National Grocers Association and the National Community Pharmacists Association. Nearly 90 years ago, their predecessor organizations joined together to win the Robinson-Patman Act, a law that guaranteed independent businesses a level playing field. That law is still on the books. It just stopped being enforced.

And this is just the beginning. The MSCC is expanding to take on market power abuses across every corner of Main Street.

Read Chris's full opening remarks here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19pTY48BBRGBZ-LRoSOLCpleDj68fH4IH/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107029615524895188945&rtpof=true&sd=true
View MSCC's letter to President Trump and Congress: https://lnkd.in/ehG7uTa3
Want to get involved? Visit mainstreetcompetition.com

Thank you to our speakers: Matt Stoller and Nidhi Hegde, American Economic Liberties Project; Alvaro Bedoya, Former FTC Commissioner; Douglas Hoey, NCPA; Laura Strange, National Grocers Association; Congressman Michael Rulli, OH-06; Teddy Downey, The Capitol Forum; Wade Payne, Food Giant/Mitchell Grocery; Christine Lee, Professional Pharmacy; John Settlemyre, fifth-generation farmer and Agri-Business Advocate; Terry Schilling, American Principles Project; and Randy Stutz, American Antitrust Institute.

And thank you to The Capitol Forum for sponsoring the event.

05/14/2026

The Main Street Competition Coalition is back.

MSCC relaunches today at the National Press Club in Downtown Washington, D.C. with a live-streamed event sponsored by The Capital Forum. The coalition is expanding its policy platform to address a wide range of market power abuses and obstacles to competition. MSCC's letter to President Trump and Congress, released today, highlights and encourages the bipartisan momentum in favor of strong competition policy to deliver affordability and opportunity to America's Main Street businesses.

The event streams live from 8-11am EST today over the National Community Pharmacists Association's page: facebook.com/commpharmacy

If you want to weigh in, join us at mainstreetcompetition.com.
If you'd like you view MSCC's letter to President Trump and Congress, view here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z5oQ1BZXnGswiihx69RxgxGZmH3Bty6b/view?usp=drive_link

05/07/2026

He turned a college project into a cold brew brand. Now Nestlé wants to take his name.

Evan Oeflein, one of our own members, started Seattle Strong at the University of Washington in 2017. What began as a business class idea is now on shelves at Whole Foods, Fred Meyer, Safeway, and stores across Washington and Oregon.

Two years ago, Evan earned his trademark. Now Nestlé is trying to cancel it, arguing that Seattle Strong is too similar to Seattle's Best and might confuse consumers.

"You can't own the word Seattle, and Seattle is known for coffee, so if you want to trade in that realm, you can't prevent others from doing it too," Evan said.

His legal bills are mounting. That's money he'd rather put toward expanding into California and Texas. But he's not backing down, and neither are we.

This is why the Main Street Competition Coalition exists. Small business owners who build something from the ground up deserve a fair shot, and we'll keep telling these stories.

Follow Seattle Strong and learn more at mainstreetcompetition.com.

https://komonews.com/news/local/small-coffee-business-seattle-food-industry-2017-international-company-1989-court-battle-nestles-attorney-patent-trademark-office-infringement

04/15/2026

Is price discrimination enforcement making a comeback?

A recent Robinson-Patman Act win in LA International v. Prestige Brands could signal a shift that independent businesses have been waiting for.

Join the Main Street Competition Coalition for a free webinar to unpack:
• What this case means for price discrimination enforcement
• How enforcement may evolve
• What options are available today

April 21 · 2:00 PM ET

Speakers:
Chris Jones, Executive Director, Main Street Competition Coalition
Katie Van Dyck, Founder and Principal, KVD Strategies PLLC
Nick Stebinger, Founding Partner, Simonsen Sussman LLP

Register your interest: https://ujajm.share.hsforms.com/2OjHZntWARSyypXcj0aIicA
Learn more at mainstreetcompetition.com

04/09/2026

When independent grocers struggle, it’s not just a business story. It’s a community story.

Independent grocers play a critical role in many communities.

They create local jobs. They support schools and community organizations. In many towns they’re one of the last remaining locally owned anchors.

At the same time many independent grocers are facing increasing pressure from concentrated supply chains and powerful national players.

When local retailers struggle the consequences extend beyond a single store. Communities can lose access, stability, and a trusted local institution.

That experience is one reason independent grocers are an important voice within the Main Street Competition Coalition.

04/08/2026

Why does competition matter?

Because when markets become concentrated, independent businesses often feel the effects first.
They can lose negotiating power with suppliers. They can face pricing pressure they can’t absorb. In some markets a small group of companies begins setting the terms for everyone else.

That shift affects more than business margins. It determines which businesses stay open and whether communities still have meaningful choices.

Competition policy may sound technical. In reality it determines whether Main Street businesses still have a fair opportunity to compete.

04/03/2026

Grocery prices are still too high. And evidence continues to mount that an unused tool by antitrust enforcers could be the key to bringing prices down.

The Trump FTC deserves credit for continuing to litigate an RPA case, but fully addressing what's driving prices means training enforcement sights on the buyers, not just the sellers. Section 2(f) of the RPA and Section 5 of the FTC Act give them exactly that authority, targeting the dominant retailers who coerce discriminatory deals from suppliers.

When mega-retailers squeeze suppliers, the pain doesn't stop at the store shelf. It runs straight through the supply chain to the farmers and agriculture producers who grow our food. FoodNavigator makes the case for why this moment demands action.

The Main Street Competition Coalition is here to make sure it happens.

https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2026/04/02/its-time-we-have-a-national-conversation-about-the-robinson-patman-act-and-antitrust-law/

The little-known Robinson-Patman Act celebrates its 90th birthday in June, and the reason you might not have heard of it is because it has been largely ignored over the last four decades.