Modernizing America's Farm Labor
David Washabaugh VI, Contributor
40 years ago, Ronald Reagan was President, and it was the last time the H-2A visa program was changed. Ask any farmers across America what keeps them up at night, and most of them would probably have something very practical at the top of their list: who is going to be up in the morning (before the sun is even up) to take care of their animals, plants, etc. For decades, the H-2A visa program has been the primary pathway for American farmers to hire seasonal agricultural workers. For almost as long, there has also been bipartisan agreement: the H-2A visa system is broken.
That is why Congressman GT Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, and numerous bipartisan cosponsors have introduced H.R. 9535, which is called the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 (SAWA). This isn’t an immigration policy bill that attempts to reinvent the wheel; it modernizes the visa process that is decades old to benefit the farmers and workers who provide for Americans daily.
The bill itself cuts much of the red tape farmers and workers have to face by bringing the process online, where employers can essentially manage the entire process and communicate with federal agencies and departments all in one place. Currently, if a farmer were to hire H-2A farmworkers, they have to deal with large amounts of paperwork, many bureaucratic hoops, and a process that can be a burden on farmers who are also trying to manage their farms. This bill sets specific time constraints, requiring the Department of Homeland Security to act on requests within 15 days and allowing agencies to eliminate redundant parts of the process.
This bill also works to improve conditions for farmworkers under the H-2A program. It would require employers to meet inspected housing requirement standards, while also allowing the Department of Labor the ability to decide what is a fair amount of wages can be deducted for this housing. It creates a mandate to prevent heat illness, requires safe training for workers, amenities like water and shade, and protocols in case of emergency (specifically those that are heat-related). Instead of requiring farmers to laboriously reapply every season as it stands currently, it extends the certifications for up to three years. The bill also permits staggering start and end dates so that the produce does not all ripen at the same time, allowing for a match in the real rhythm of the growing season.
None of these proposals are a radical change. These are common-sense fixes to administrative problems that groups from all across America and the political spectrum have been asking Congress about for decades.
I want to make sure I am clear in addressing the largest concern about this bill. Truthfully, most of the noise is about something that doesn’t even exist within the bill. H.R. 9535 does not grant amnesty. There is no pathway to a green card, the granting of citizenship, or a promise of permanent legal status anywhere in the bill. Many critics cite a specific provision of the bill that allows a waiver of certain rules if individuals can prove they’ve been performing this work already and missed the cutoff date. Even then, it only allows them the ability to qualify for a temporary H-2A visa. This opportunity does not exist for those who attempted to receive benefits unlawfully and certainly does not protect people from enforcement outside of a small agricultural employment context.
Simply put, this lets someone who has already been doing the work step right back into it under the rules of a temporary H-2A visa. They are still required to leave when it expires and comply with the same requirements as every other H-2A visa worker. Calling it “amnesty” is simply a buzzword to incite fear that this will cause some broad change to the immigration system. Hopefully I have demonstrated that this is not the case.
It is also worth noting that this isn’t some divisive topic in the world of agriculture. More than 500 agricultural organizations, which account for nearly every aspect of agriculture, are supporting this bill. The American Farm Bureau Federation is one of these organizations. They have pointed out that there is a severe labor shortage in the farming industry. The only way to close and resolve the gap is to have a visa system that actually works and doesn’t impose unnecessary and heavy burdens on farmers across the United States. The American Dairy Coalition, Western Growers, and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association have all said that Chairman Thompson and his colleagues are championing a milestone for agricultural labor. This isn’t a coincidence; this is Congress meeting the needs of an industry that has been begging for help. The message is clear that the system needs to be fixed, and these organizations agree this is the best way forward.
Secretary Brooke Rollins, the Secretary of Agriculture, has also sounded the alarm on labor costs and the outdated process to obtain an H-2A visa. She has said that labor costs have soared to 47% since 2020, which is a huge expense for farmers. She has said there needs to be reform within the H-2A system, even saying that there is still work to be done. When the Secretary of Agriculture, the House Committee on Agriculture, and numerous agricultural organizations across America all cite the same issue for rising labor costs, the way forward is clear… fix the system.
Passing the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act is not about amnesty; it is about fixing agricultural labor within the United States. It makes the path to becoming an agricultural worker practical while also easing the burden placed on farmers everywhere. This is about making sure the workers and farmers who feed America can work the right way through a system that is modernized and accountable. For me, and anyone who cares about the agricultural industry, that is worth passing.