[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ALBERTSONS-KROGER MERGER

  (Mrs. PELTOLA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. PELTOLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to defend Alaska's rights to 
affordable groceries, which are under threat from a corporate mega-
merger.
  The Albertsons-Kroger merger would combine Alaska's two largest 
grocery stores. Many of our communities just have two grocers, a Carrs-
Safeway and a Fred Meyer, often across the street, whether it is 
Airport Way in Fairbanks or the Sterling Highway in Soldotna.
  If they merge, 14 of these stores will be sold to a company that has 
never operated in Alaska. That matters.
  Alaska is a remote State with one-of-a-kind logistical challenges. We 
know what happened in the 1999 Carrs-Safeway merger, when a new 
operator had to close its stores after barely a year. Alaskans got 
higher prices and fewer choices.
  We won't be ignored this time. We are asking the Federal Trade 
Commission to listen to our voices, stop this merger, and protect our 
access to food and jobs.
  As the FTC meets this week, Alaskans will be speaking up, asking them 
to do the right thing and listen to those who have the most to lose.

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