On Monday, three Democratic senators set their sights on McDonald’s, accusing the fast food giant of price gouging.
This criticism came just one day after former President Donald Trump drew attention by working the drive-thru window at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania during a campaign stop.
Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, and Ron Wyden of Oregon penned a letter to McDonald’s President and CEO, Chris Kempczinski.
In the letter, they raised concerns about the rising prices of fast food across the country. The senators suggested that McDonald’s might have raised the prices of certain menu items far beyond what inflation would justify.
“While working families are trying to make ends meet, McDonald’s and its corporate counterparts have continued to grow their profits,” the lawmakers stated in their letter.
The letter acknowledged that other fast food chains have also increased their prices, largely due to inflation.
However, the senators focused their message solely on McDonald’s leadership, leaving it unclear why they targeted this particular chain over others.
Former President Trump had made headlines just the day before for his appearance at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania.
His Sunday visit to the iconic fast food franchise was part of a campaign stop that quickly gained attention on social media.
Many memes surfaced, with some praising Trump and others poking fun at his stint behind the drive-thru counter. However, the senators made no mention of Trump’s visit in their letter.
“McDonald’s is squeezing customers to make massive profits, paying out billions to their shareholders, and then blaming inflation for high costs,” Senator Warren wrote on social media Tuesday evening. “Fast food should be about making life easier for Americans, not a fast payout for McDonald’s executives and Wall Street shareholders.”
In their letter, the three senators asked McDonald’s to provide responses to five questions regarding its business practices.
They set a deadline of November 4, just one day before the upcoming election, for the company to respond.
As of Tuesday evening, McDonald’s had not issued a public comment in response to the senators’ letter.
