In a speech at the DNC, Senator Bob Casey said that corporations are “extorting money from families at the checkout line.”

CHICAGO — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey promised to crack down on corporate greed and impose tougher penalties on companies that artificially raise the prices of goods as a way to fight inflation during a brief speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

“Prices are going up because corporations are scheming to raise prices,” Casey said. “Most of the companies are good companies. They’re the food conglomerates. … They’re the ones who are extorting money from families at the checkout. It’s greedflation.”

Casey, a three-term Democrat who is up for re-election in the fall, said he is seeking a federal ban on price gouging and promised that if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected president, she “will sign legislation to do just that.”

Members of the Pennsylvania delegation cheered, “Bob! Bob! Bob!” as their senior senator took the stage.

Casey, a former state treasurer and the governor’s son, faces a challenge from Republican Dave McCormick, a former hedge fund executive.

Casey’s substantial speech — the same night Harris formally accepted the presidential nomination — underscores the importance of the Pennsylvania Senate race, which could decide which party controls the chamber.

Casey has a significant lead over McCormick in recent polls. His focus on fighting inflation comes as Democrats try to blunt severe economic weakness ahead of the November election.

» READ MORE: Why the Republican Party Thinks Kamala Harris Will Drag Bob Casey Down

In a statement before Casey’s speech, McCormick’s campaign called Casey’s plan “Venezuelan-style socialist price controls.”

“Pennsylvania families are being crushed by the high cost of living because the liberal Biden-Harris-Casey agenda has failed them,” spokeswoman Elizabeth Gregory said, “and yet career politician Bob Casey wants voters to believe it’s not his fault. It’s ridiculous.”