Americans warned of grocery prices shock
www.newsweek.com
"If you think your groceries are expensive now, wait until the farms are empty," AOC said on the "Latino USA" podcast.

Summary

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned that Trump’s mass deportation policy could lead to labor shortages and higher grocery prices.

Experts say agriculture, construction, and healthcare will be hardest hit, with farm output losses estimated between $30 and $60 billion.

Deportations could cost the U.S. economy up to $88 billion annually.

AOC argued that immigrant labor is vital to economic stability, urging Congress to pursue immigration reform.

  • dx1@lemmy.world
    1·
    8 hours ago

    True, well, I mean, take the effects I described and apply them to the respective agricultural sectors. We will very likely see price increases in fresh produce and some price decrease in corn, soy, wheat, dairy, etc. (I say “some” because the actual global demand for food hasn’t decreased, rather, the purchasing power has been decreased because some subsidization has been lost due to USAID absence).

    • megopie@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      1·
      4 hours ago

      So, thing is USDA guarantees a minimum price for stuff like corn and dairy, paying the difference between the actual market price and the minimum price to farmers. So the market price for them will drop but production won’t, and chances are, most of the stuff will end up getting thrown out or used in utterly absurd way. Closing USAID just removes a potential useful outlet for the surplus. Rather than corn getting used for subsidizing food costs in other countries, it’ll be up getting used to make potting soil, gasoline and dry wall. Not because it makes economic sense to do so, but because the government will pay the economic losses that are inherent in such wasteful use cases.