Our mission is to promote consumer welfare by improving the understanding and impact that public policies and regulations have on American consumers.
Joined March 2009
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Cigarettes get a fast track at the FDA. Lower-risk vapes don’t.
‼️New ACI Policy Primer: an arbitrary 2007 cutoff date lets cigarettes use the streamlined Substantial Equivalence pathway, while vapes face the far tougher PMTA process.
The result:
🚬 892 new cigarette products authorized (2018-2022)
💨 48 authorized e-cigarette products (as of Aug 2026)
It’s time for a proportionate standard.
Read more by @JustinLeventhal here: theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
One Small Tweak for Payments, One Big Risk for Small Businesses
theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
American Consumer Institute retweeted
2🧵Moreover, the evidence of AI chatbots' effects on mental health leans positive, mostly. Assuming inherent harm when trying to create safe online environments would take away many of the benefits AI chatbots can offer.
My latest with the @consumerpal:
theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
American Consumer Institute retweeted
Overall, the changes to BEAD are a good step to make sure it has as much impact as possible, but simultaneously an indictment of government subsidies.
Read my full thoughts in my latest with @consumerpal:
Let BEAD Be Mission Complete theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
American Consumer Institute retweeted
Today, TPA led a coalition urging the @NYCCouncil to reject the Delivery Protection Act.
The proposal threatens thousands of delivery jobs, burdens small businesses, and could drive up costs for New Yorkers.
Our full statement: protectingtaxpayers.org/pres…
American Consumer Institute retweeted
In the race to extend internet coverage to every last consumer, Louisiana is consistently the front of the pack. Other states should learn from its approach in the next round of BEAD funding.
Read more below in my latest with @consumerpal, published in @GOVERNING
ACI Supports the EPA’s 2026 Supplemental WOTUS Proposal
theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
Diesel powers the whole economy: farm equipment, trucks, freight trains, cargo ships, construction machinery, hospital backup generators. Higher prices get passed on to consumers in everyday goods. Even soy farmers who benefit from higher crop demand pay more to fuel their tractors. Geopolitics may be beyond our control, but the RFS isn’t.
Diesel prices are rising, and the Renewable Fuel Standard is an overlooked factor. Because ethanol hits a “blend wall,” refiners turn to biodiesel to meet higher mandates, which pushes up RIN prices, soybean oil costs, and ultimately diesel prices.
As fuel prices continue to rise and diesel supply shocks now infiltrate U.S. gasoline networks, it’s worth examining certain domestic policies that influence what consumers pay. The well-intentioned Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is one such program that has complicated transportation fuels. The RFS is frequently accused of increasing prices for conventional gas, but an often-overlooked side effect is its impact on diesel.
Read more here: theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
Fully Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) used to only be found in science fiction novels. Improvements in technology—across sensors, computing, machine learning, and autonomous-driving systems—are facilitating access and deployment of AVs while increasing consumer choice and lowering prices. This is good news for consumers. Across price, accessibility, choice, and quality, autonomous vehicles are driving consumer benefits.
Read more by @gq_pablo here:theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
Pharmaceuticals cost more in America than in any other developed nation. But copying Europe’s price controls with Most Favored Nation pricing (MFN) will not fix that problem. Washington should instead focus on a reform that is already reducing patients prices: direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical sales.
Read more by @JustinLeventhal here: theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
Diesel prices are at all-time highs and panic has set in.
theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
A State Line Shouldn’t Cancel a Medical License
theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
Over 90% of US prescriptions are generics. They sell for pennies per dose on razor-thin margins. A 100-200% tariff leaves manufacturers three choices: raise prices, discontinue products, or leave the market. All three hurt patients. Low prices aren’t a market failure. They’re why generics exist.
Onshoring can’t happen in two years. Eli Lilly’s new facility is five years out, and US production can raise generic prices 20-50%. Real security comes from diversification: multiple qualified suppliers in multiple countries, not blunt protectionism that taxes allies and rivals alike.
Tariffs on generic drugs won’t secure America’s medicine supply. They’ll raise prices, push low-margin generics off the market, and leave patients with fewer options. Tariffs are paid by American importers, not foreign companies, and patients can’t just skip insulin or chemo.
Read more by @JustinLeventhal here: theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
American Consumer Institute retweeted
In my latest @consumerpal blog, I rebut a local OR businessowner's 'fairness' argument for swipe fees on tips. Ultimately, it's a push for federal legislation that would leave small businesses and consumers without rewards or savings promised. theamericanconsumer.org/2026…
Patients need lower drug prices. They also need the next cure.
Congress can deliver both by getting generic and biosimilar competition to market faster and expanding direct-to-consumer sales.
Competition lowers prices. Price controls threaten the return on innovation.