By the Associated Press Staff of The Morning

Editor’s Note: Courtesy of the Associated Press.

As journalists, we ask questions for a living. And we strive to make sure our work addresses the pressing ones on readers’ minds, especially in this time of dizzying political news. That’s why we regularly invite the audience of The Morning to send us their questions, and have our expert beat reporters respond.

Today, we’re addressing your queries about immigration, military spending, Social Security, Medicaid and whether now is a good time to build a house. (Got a question for us? Submit them here.)

ICE raids

With the raids on undocumented immigrants going on, targeting the people who work in the fields and the slaughterhouses, how have these actions affected the supply and prices in our grocery stores? — Anna Halbrook, Otis, Ore.

We asked Julie Creswell, who covers the food industry, to field this one:

We haven’t seen any obvious fallout from immigration raids on grocery prices yet. As of the end of May, prices were up about 2.2 percent compared with a year earlier. Eggs, coffee and meats — ground beef in particular — drove that increase.

But beef prices were climbing even before the raids, because of droughts and high interest rates (ranchers take out loans to run their operations). The nation’s cattle inventory is at its lowest level since the 1950s. Prices of fruits and vegetables have stayed about flat over the past year; tomatoes and lettuce are actually much cheaper right now.

Defense spending

Trump has pushed NATO countries to spend 5 percent of their economic output on the military. How much of its economic output does the U.S. spend on the military? — Diann Ebersole, Copperopolis, Calif.

From German Lopez, who has written several Morning newsletters on this very topic:

The U.S. spends about 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product on the military. That used to put America at the top of NATO’s ranks, but Poland now spends a larger portion, 4.1 percent.

Critics say this makes President Trump a hypocrite: If the U.S. isn’t spending 5 percent, why should other countries? But Trump says that the U.S. doesn’t need to spend as much now because it’s invested a lot more historically. Europe, the argument goes, has let its militaries and defense industries languish through disinvestment. (Some experts agree.) The president contends that those countries need to rebuild in a way that the U.S. doesn’t, and rebuilding has a big upfront cost.

Trump also has a transactional view of the world and alliances. He sees Europe’s renewed spending as payback after the U.S. bore the brunt of NATO’s duties and expenditures for decades.

Retirement benefits

I’ve heard a lot of talk that Social Security will be running out of money. I plan on retiring in the next two to three years. Should I retire sooner to collect my full benefit? — Elizabeth Y.

Here’s Tara Siegel Bernard, who recently interviewed retirees on this:

Social Security has long faced financing challenges, but the issue becomes more pressing each year. The trust fund that pays retiree benefits is projected to be depleted in 2033, or when today’s 59-year-olds turn 67. At that point, the program will have enough incoming revenue to pay only 77 percent of benefits — in other words, a 23 percent cut. But that happens if Congress does nothing to address the problem, like raising payroll taxes or trimming benefits.

The decision of when an individual should take Social Security is highly personal. There can be a huge payoff for healthy people who can afford to wait: Starting at 67 instead of 62, for example, can mean monthly checks that are 43 percent higher. And for each year you delay retirement past 67, your monthly payment rises 8 percent.

Ask yourself: Would collecting a reduced benefit for a couple of extra years be preferable to locking in a higher benefit for the rest of your life? A conversation with a financial planner is often a solid investment; these are high-stakes decisions.

Who loses Medicaid?

Are there some specific examples of who will be affected by Medicaid cuts and requirements to work in the big policy bill passed last week? Will people with Parkinson’s who are in long-term care be cut off because they can’t work? — Amy, Glenview, Ill.

From Margot Sanger-Katz, who covers health care for The Upshot:

The bill’s work requirement is focused on a relatively specific group of Medicaid beneficiaries: childless adults without disabilities and parents of children older than 13. But it is certainly plausible that the bill’s policies could have spillover effects for other populations.

A person in long-term care with Parkinson’s would almost certainly still be covered. But someone with Parkinson’s who has not yet qualified for Social Security disability status may have to prove they are too sick to work. States will also have to build new enrollment systems to check who is eligible and who is compliant, and several current and former state officials are worried the magnitude of that effort could lead to errors and delays for everyone.

When to build

Is this a good time to build a house? — Janie Spataro, Ringgold, Ga.

Conor Dougherty, who covers the housing industry, offers this advice:

Can you afford to build it, and do you plan on living there for seven to 10 years? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then it’s as good a time as any to build.

Housing is an unusual good in that it is both a consumable, like a car, and an investment, like a stock. Most of the worst home-buying decisions — overstretching on a mortgage, buying in an area you don’t really like — come from thinking of housing as an opportunity to make money instead of as a place to live. A house is only a good investment if you think of it as home.