Washington

Congressional Democrats are partnering with the Biden administration and a progressive advocacy group to turn a policy effort to curb junk fees into a political rally. The move aligns with President Joe Biden’s promise to target unexpected fees charged on items like Airplane and concert tickets, hotel rooms, hospital and cell phone bills, and housing transactions.

The Progressive Change Institute is helping organize events to promote the administration’s effort to curb junk fees. Incidents have already occurred in suburban Detroit, Philadelphia, central New Jersey, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. House Democrats plan to continue working with President Biden to fight these excessive fees, hold corporations accountable, and lower costs for families across the country. Representative Alyssa Slotkin, a swing-district Michigan Democrat running for Senate, plans an event in a few weeks to discuss the administration’s initiative to eliminate junk fees.

The push is part of Bidennomics, the president’s effort to stimulate the economy by boosting social spending, which he says could bolster the middle class and ease the sting of inflation. It may also help Biden bridge the gap between an economy that many indicators show is strong with low unemployment rates and rising wages and polling that shows many Americans don’t consider this a positive for the Democrats.

The Biden administration has used executive action to limit ticketing and medical fees and federal agencies to curb unexpected charges in banking, airlines, and other areas. Company executives have met with Biden at the White House, including Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent company, and SeatGeek, who agreed to disclose higher ticket fees than before. House Democrats have introduced legislation to crack down on the unexpected fees and are trying to localize the issue at their events.