Owens urges Democrats to subpoena corporate executives over prices

The Washington Sun reported that Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees are examining the dossier compiled by Groundwork Collaborative. It names grocery chains and retailers including Walmart, as well as major technology companies, artificial intelligence labs, natural gas firms, private prisons and nursing home operators. The document alleges that some have contributed to rising costs for Americans in recent years.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), expected to become House Judiciary Committee chair in January, told the Sun that his staff had been looking at possible investigations. “We’re not targeting particular corporations,” he said, adding that companies would be subject to congressional oversight and subpoena authority where they were involved in what he called “systems and networks of corruption.”

Owens said Democrats should pursue corporate accountability alongside investigations of President Donald Trump and his administration. In a social media post Wednesday, she called for CEOs to be brought in and questioned. A Reuters/Ipsos pre-election survey found that 48% of voters identified the cost of living as the single most important issue motivating them in Tuesday’s midterms.

On a podcast with Theo Von before the election, Owens described what she called a “reinvention of the rip-off” over the past five years, citing algorithmic price-fixing, junk fees and subscription traps. She singled out Walmart’s AI shopping assistant, Sparky: executives said on an earnings call that users spend an average of 40% more per order than customers who do not use it.

Owens also urged lawmakers to question DoorDash’s CEO about a planned “agitation index” that would have tracked users’ scrolling speed, movements and battery level to shape what appeared in the app. DoorDash withdrew its patent application two days after Owens testified before the US Senate, where she warned the technology could be used to raise prices for hungry customers. She also cited differing Uber fares for the same route, which the company has said are determined using algorithms based on what consumers are willing to pay.

Owens said public records, patent filings and investor calls have already revealed information about these practices. With control of House and Senate committees, she argued, Democrats could compel companies to disclose their books and algorithms. Doing so, she said, would mean confronting businesses and lobbyists and changing how Washington operates.