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Good afternoon,
As we head into Thanksgiving later this week, Americans across the country are preparing for their feasts by purchasing items at the grocery store. The American Farm Bureau Federation found that the average price of food for a Thanksgiving meal is about 5% lower this year than last year. As the nation faces a growing affordability crisis, this is a win as people are able to afford meals to celebrate the quintessential American holiday.
Here are a few important updates...
A RIFT IN MAGA POLITICS
Late last week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) announced she would resign from Congress in January, a year before her term is up. Marjorie Taylor Greene has served in Congress since 2021 and became a widely known name during her 2020 campaign for her conspiracy theories, political stunts, and fierce support of Donald Trump. In recent months, however, Greene has publicly disputed with the president, pushing for the release of the Epstein files – helping to force a vote on the House floor to release the files. Prior to her resignation, Trump lashed out at Greene, calling her "Marjorie Traitor Greene."
Greene said it would not be fair to her district in northwest Georgia to have them "endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the President we all fought for." Greene also signaled that the political system is not working for the general public, stating that "no matter which way the political pendulum swings, Republican or Democrat, nothing ever gets better for the common American man or woman."
Greene's resignation follows the announcements from several other Republicans that they will not seek reelection after disputes with President Trump. The future of the Republican party is incredibly uncertain – if members of Congress dare to disagree with Trump, they resign from their seats or face a primary. Greene's abrupt departure illustrates how tightly Trump now controls the party, and how little space remains for even once-loyal allies who break with him. Her resignation will likely deepen existing fault lines inside the GOP, raising questions about whether any meaningful dissent can survive in the Republican Conference going into the next election cycle.
One additional note on Greene's resignation: While the announcement was abrupt, Greene choosing to wait until January 5th, 2026 to officially depart the chamber is notable for two particular reasons. First, by waiting until after January 2nd to leave office, Greene is locking in a Congressional pension that could be worth a minimum of $260,000 over the course of her time out of office. Not a bad payout for 5-years of not working very hard. Second, Greene will be leaving office the day before the 5th anniversary of the Trump-instigated attack on the Capitol. An event Greene was highly supportive of and spent years lying about.
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AMERICA FIRST, WORKERS LAST
Another broken promise from the Trump administration, related to the "America First" agenda, is now resurfacing in the courts. Last Friday, eighteen farmworkers from across the country, along with the United Farm Workers and the UFW Foundation, filed a lawsuit against a new Labor Department rule. This implementation is said to have reduced wages for H-2A agricultural guest workers by approximately $5 to $7 per hour. By lowering the wage floor, the rule allows growers to hire guest workers at lower rates, putting downward pressure on the earnings of U.S. citizens working in agriculture.
Although the White House projected that this rule would save employers $24 billion over ten years and attract more than 120,000 additional farm laborers by 2034, it has led to frustration among domestic workers. Labor groups argue that the H-2A program already exposes migrant workers to problems such as wage theft, labor exploitation, and unsafe working conditions. They see this rule as further empowering employers at the expense of workers, representing a transfer of income from workers to growers. Additionally, the program is viewed as a setback to wage stability and worker protection in an industry already plagued by labor abuses.
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
75%: The percentage increase in wholesale turkey prices since October 2024.
According to the Purdue University College of Agriculture, American families will be spending at least 25% more on their Thanksgiving turkey this year as retail prices rise following the wholesale price increases. The rising turkey prices have been offset by slightly lower prices on the other food items that make up a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
WORD OF THE WEEK
Special Election: The race to fill the vacant seat in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District is coming down to the wire.
Polls show a neck-and-neck race in a district Trump carried by 22 points just last year. Although flipping a seat this red is unlikely, another significant Democratic overperformance in this special election could be another key indicator of a building wave election as voters recoil from the policies, politics, and personality of MAGA.
WHAT WE'RE READING
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