Economists on both sides of the political spectrum are panning Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposed price controls on groceries, but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a different take.

“Here is what Obama administration economist Jason Furman had to say, ‘This is not sensible policy, and I think the biggest hope is that it ends up being a lot of rhetoric and no reality. … There’s no upside here, and there is some downside,’” Meet the Press host Kristen Welker told Whitmer during an appearance on Sunday, quoting Furman’s Thursday column in The New York Times.

“He warned effectively that price controls could ultimately stifle economic growth, so do you think that’s the best way to bring down prices in Michigan?” Welker questioned.

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“Well, I think people are, are reading too much into what has been put out there,” Whitmer said as she shifted the conversation to something else. “We know that Kamala Harris is going to be focused on building up more affordable housing. We know that Kamala Harris has already delivered on making sure health care is more accessible and affordable for Americans and will protect Obamacare,” she said.

“That’s a million people who have health care in Michigan right now that Donald Trump has been trying to rip away,” Whitmer continued. “That only adds costs on people’s backs, so that’s why I think opportunity economy that Vice President Harris is talking about and laying the broad strokes for I think shows … she sees every American, she understands what people are struggling with, and wants to help you keep more money in your pocket.”

Welker attempted to bring Whitmer back on topic, pointing to the strong opposition to Harris’ so-called ban on price gouging.

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“You have former President Trump calling the policies communist, The Washington Post editorial board called it a gimmick,” she said. “Is this plan to ban price gouging anything more than a gimmick, governor?”

“I think it speaks to Kamala Harris’ values, that she wants consumers to keep more money in their pockets, she wants hardworking Americans to be able to get ahead,” Whitmer said. “She wants to make sure there is corporate responsibility.”

Whitmer continued: “We know we’ve got to have business growth in this country,” she said. “But we also know you can’t gouge and hurt the American consumer just to pad your bottom line and I think there’s a balance there and I think that is what this is all about.”

Welker tried a third time.

“So you think this is smart policy, governor?”

Whitmer wouldn’t say yes.

“You know what, I, I think that any effort we make to keep more money in Americans’ pockets is worth walking the path and having the conversations and figuring out, how do we make this economy work for everybody,” the governor said.

It’s clear many folks who understand economics know price caps in competitive markets creates barriers that discourage new companies, ultimately limiting competition and driving up costs.

“Economists generally oppose most price controls, believing that they produce costly shortages and gluts,” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis economist Christopher Neely wrote in a 2022 article that breaks down the reasons why.

Brian Riedl, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, told The Washington Post Harris’ proposal “represents a return to the lazy, failed economic policies of the 1970s, when price controls proved to be a disaster for the economy.”

Joshua Hendrickson, economist at the University of Mississippi noted the 27% inflation in groceries since the pandemic has more to do with government spending than corporations gouging customers.

“If prices are rising on average over time and profit margins expand, that might look like price gouging, but it’s actually indicative of a broad increase in demand,” Hendrickson told The New York Times. “Such broad increases tend to be the result of expansionary monetary or fiscal policy — or both.”

Regardless, Harris’ plan to enforce a vague “federal ban on price gouging” on grocery stores, landlords, drug companies and others the government believes charge too much is getting the attention it deserves, with most pointing out the plan could actually accomplish exactly the opposite of the stated intent.

“It’s economics 101 that if you stimulate demand while simultaneously deterring supply, your equilibrium will be significantly higher prices,” Michael Faulkender, finance professor at the University of Maryland, told ABC News. “It just sounds to me that we’re creating even more burdensome regulations that will actually raise prices for consumers.”