Sen #ElizabethWarren (D-MA) sent a letter Thursday calling on the #Labor Dept to release the #data despite the #shutdown. According to William Beach, a fmr commissioner of the #BLS, the monthly survey was collected & processed this week.

Shutdown or not, the #Trump admin has already canceled some data collection, such as an annual survey of #FoodSecurity & another on #farmworker #wages, to obscure understanding of the #US’ economic health.

#OrchestratedShutdown #economy #recession #law

…#Immigration enforcement actions at #farms, #businesses & #construction sites brought everything to a standstill, said Elizabeth Rodriguez, director of #farmworker advocacy for the National Farmworker Ministry.

“In May, during the peak of our watermelon and cantaloupe season, it delayed it. A lot of #crops did go to #waste,” she said.

#economy #inflation #law #labor #Trump

#Weather damaged much of the family orchard’s crop for the 3rd time in 5 years. The blow landed on a #farm & an industry already squeezed by the #Trump admin’s changes to #government #services, #immigration & #trade policies.

King Orchards’ harvest crew from Guatemala arrived in mid-July, short-handed & weeks late after delays in securing the H2A seasonal #farmworker #visas…. They paid more to ship fresh cherries by private carrier after #USPS reorganization left fresh fruit sitting too long.