NGA Calls for Swift Passage of Credit Card Competition Act to Lower Costs for Grocers and Consumers

• January 23, 2026

The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, released the following statement urging the passage of the Credit Card Competition Act:

The National Grocers Association (NGA) urges the swift passage of the Credit Card Competition Act, which Sens. Marshall (R-KS) and Durbin (D-IL) filed as an amendment to the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act, as a critical step toward restoring competition in a payment system that is driving up costs for small businesses and consumers alike.

Excessive credit card swipe fees continue to burden independent grocers, who operate on razor-thin margins and cannot negotiate with dominant card networks that control much of the market.

"This legislation is urgently needed to fix a credit card marketplace that is fundamentally broken and stacked against small businesses, especially independent community grocers," said Max Wengroff, NGA's senior government relations manager. "Visa and Mastercard dominate the system, set fees unilaterally, and block meaningful competition, leaving grocers with no choice but to absorb or pass on rising swipe fees. The Credit Card Competition Act would introduce real competition, lower costs, and help ensure families are not paying higher grocery prices simply because the payments market lacks basic fairness," Wengroff concluded.

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About the National Grocers Association

NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation's overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers' associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.