(The Center Square)–As farmers grapple with the impact of mass deportations, federal lawmakers proposed a bill on Wednesday to reform the H-2A visa program for those seeking a legal agricultural workforce.
Congress established the visa program in 1952 to temporarily allow foreign farmworkers to work in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 42% of hired farmworkers had no authorization to work in the country from 2020 to 2022, down from 55% from 1999 to 2001.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office asked federal agencies to improve oversight of the H-2A program last year. From 2018 to 2023, the number of approved jobs and visas increased by over 50%, as 84% of investigations into employers found violations affecting 66,819 workers.
“Reintroducing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act sends a clear message to farmers that we are working hard to find solutions that ease the burdens brought on by the current state of the H-2A program,” U.S. Rep Dan Newhouse, R, Wash., wrote a news release on Wednesday.
Newhouse proposed the bill alongside U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., after she attempted to push it through in 2019, 2021 and 2023. The House of Representatives passed it twice, but the Senate never did. If approved this time, it could create a legal pathway to residency for farmworkers.
The bill allows undocumented individuals who have worked at least 180 days over the last two years to apply for a certified agricultural worker status. If approved, they could stay for about five years before renewing their status, with spouses and children also eligible for dependent status.
If a worker has 10 years of agricultural experience before Congress passes the bill, they would qualify for a green card after four more years under a certified worker status. Those with less than 10 years of experience must complete another eight years before receiving a permanent status.
“It is well-past time we get this bipartisan legislation twice passed by the House of Representatives to the President’s desk,” Lofgren wrote in the release.
The bill also responds to the GAO’s concerns around the H-2A program, particularly the lack of an electronic processing system for applications. Employers currently have to mail all those documents, but the proposal would streamline the process through an electronic filing system.
Save Family Farming, an advocacy group out of Washington state released a statement in February highlighting fears President Donald Trump’s deportation policies had created.
“It is time for leaders on all sides to recognize that farmworkers are not political pawns — they and their families are essential members of our communities,” according to the statement. “We call on federal leaders to immediately pursue real solutions to fix America’s broken immigration system, not performative policies that intimidate the very people who put food on our tables.”
The United Farm Workers of America applauded the bipartisan compromise on Wednesday as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act heads back to the House and potentially the Senate.
“No one should have to go to work scared of not coming home to their families,” UFW President Teresa Romero wrote in a statement. “The workers who feed America have earned the right to stay in America as Americans. This bipartisan, common-sense legislation will create an opportunity for them to do so.”
Why One Survival Food Company Shines Above the Rest
Let’s be real. “Prepper Food” or “Survival Food” is generally awful. The vast majority of companies that push their cans, bags, or buckets desperately hope that their customers never try them and stick them in the closet or pantry instead. Why? Because if the first time they try them is after the crap hits the fan, they’ll be too shaken to call and complain about the quality.
It’s true. Most long-term storage food is made with the cheapest possible ingredients with limited taste and even less nutritional value. This is why they tout calories so much. Sure, they provide calories but does anyone really want to go into the apocalypse with food their family can’t stand?
This is what prompted the Llewellyns to launch Heaven’s Harvest. They bought survival food from multiple companies and determined they couldn’t imagine being stuck in an extended emergency with such low-quality food. They quickly discovered that freeze drying food for long-term storage doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor, consistency, or nutrition.
Their ingredients are all-American. In fact, they’re locally sourced and all-natural! This allows their products to be the highest quality on the market, so good that their customers often break open a bag in a pinch to eat because they want to, not just because they have to due to an emergency.
At Heaven’s Harvest, their only focus is amazing food. They don’t sell bugout bags, solar chargers, or multitools. They have one mission – feeding Americans in times of crisis.
What they DO offer is the ability for people to thrive in times of greatest need. On top of long-term storage food, they offer seeds to help Americans for the truly long-term. They want them to grow their own food if possible which is why they offer only Heirloom, Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid, Open-Pollinated seeds so their customers can build permanent food security on their own property.
