To help consumers, the Biden administration is cracking down on junk fees, price-fixing and price gouging on food, and mergers.

President Joe Biden announced the actions Wednesday the day before the fifth meeting of White House Competition Council, which he appointed in 2021. The council is made up of 10 cabinet members and the heads of seven independent agencies.

“It’s about basic fairness,” Biden said when he addressed cabinet members and other council members. “Folks are tired of being played for suckers.”

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission will be publishing their revised merger guidelines for public comment on Thursday.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will announce a new partnership with 32 attorneys general from states and the District of Columbia to increase enforcement of antitrust and consumer protection laws that will help stop practices such as price fixing and price gouging in grocery stores, meat and poultry processing, and other agricultural markets.

A new effort to curb housing rental fees also has been launched. Three of the largest rental housing platforms – Zillow, Apartments.com, and AffordableHousing.com – have agreed to disclose all the information on rental costs upfront such as application fees that can cost $100 or more for each application and other fees charged for items such as for paying rent online.

These actions will continue to move Biden’s agenda forward on helping consumers navigate these challenging economic times.