Grocer-turned-lawmaker says Mamdani’s government-run stores ‘might not even last a year’
Republican Congressman Mike Rulli of Ohio, whose family owns the Rulli Brothers grocery chain, has criticised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan to launch government-run grocery stores, warning the scheme would harm hundreds of small businesses forced to compete with them. Rulli, drawing on his own background in the grocery trade, argues that publicly run supermarkets would be financially unsustainable and could damage the wider retail sector in the city.
Rulli told Fox News Digital that any such government-run supermarket would "bleed red" financially from the moment it opened, predicting it would struggle to survive even a single year, let alone five. His remarks add to a broader wave of criticism from Republicans of Mamdani's proposals, which form part of the mayor's wider push to address the cost of living and food affordability in New York City.
In short
- Ohio GOP Congressman Mike Rulli criticises Mamdani's city-run grocery store plan.
- Rulli, a former grocer, predicts the stores could fail within a year.
- He warns the plan would hurt small businesses forced to compete.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Government-run grocery stores could address genuine market failures by prioritising food access and affordability in underserved neighbourhoods where private retailers have withdrawn. Supporters argue that for fundamental necessities like food, profit-driven models have demonstrably failed communities, and public ownership allows prioritisation of public welfare over shareholder returns, particularly in food deserts where private competition is insufficient.
The case against
Grocery retail's notoriously thin profit margins make operation exceptionally challenging, and there is limited evidence government agencies manage retail operations more efficiently than private enterprise. Rather than having the state compete directly with struggling independent grocers, critics argue targeted subsidies to consumers or incentives for private retailers to serve underserved areas would deploy public funds more efficiently and avoid displacing existing small businesses.
Explained simply
New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has proposed opening grocery stores run by the city as part of efforts to make food more affordable. The idea would put the local government in the role of operating shops that usually belong to private businesses.
Mike Rulli is a Republican member of the US House of Representatives from Ohio, and his family owns a grocery chain. He has criticised the proposal, arguing that city-run stores could lose money and put pressure on existing small grocers.
The debate centres on how governments can respond to the high cost of food, and what effects public shops might have on private retailers. The proposal has also become part of wider political disagreements over Mamdani’s approach to the cost of living.
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