WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) introduced H.R. 9535, the bipartisan Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026. This legislation makes key improvements to the accessibility and cost of agricultural labor through the H-2A visa program.
“It’s time to bring the H-2A program into the 21st century,” Rep. Thompson said. “Producers have been sounding the alarm for years that Congress needs to address the workforce crisis we have on our hands in farm country. The H-2A visa program is woefully outdated, and it no longer meets the needs of American agricultural production.”
If signed into law, this legislation would be the first statutory reform to H-2A in 40 years. The program allows non-immigrant foreign workers to perform temporary agricultural jobs in the U.S. when domestic workers are unavailable. The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 expands access to the program for year-round operations, controls costs to restore certainty to balance sheets, and streamlines the interactions of the government agencies administering the program.
“There is no greater national security threat than disruptions to our food supply,” Rep. Thompson said. “The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 makes the practical, commonsense reforms required to prevent these disruptions by providing a workforce that meets agriculture’s needs—now and in the future.”
This bipartisan legislation is supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Western Growers Association, the National Milk Producers Federation, and more than 400 other agricultural groups across the entire industry.
Background:
- The H-2A program was established by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. As a non-immigrant visa, those holding an H-2A visa are not eligible for a pathway to U.S. citizenship unless they choose to leave the program and pursue naturalization. The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 does not change this.
- With a shrinking domestic workforce for agricultural labor, American farmers have increasingly turned to H-2A workers over the last 20 years. In 2024, more than 300,000 H-2A visas were issued—a 2766% growth rate over the number of H-2A visas issued in 1996.
- Wages for H-2A workers are calculated based on the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), a minimum wage originally designed to ensure domestic workers were not undercut by foreign laborers. Dubious methodologies saw this rate skyrocket from 2010-2025—in this time period, the increases to the AEWR outpaced inflation by 70%.
- After hearing countless testimonials from producers across the country regarding the lack of an accessible and affordable workforce during his tenure as chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Rep. Thompson organized an informal working group of Committee Members to analyze root policy failures and propose solutions. The recommendations of this bipartisan working group serve as the policy foundation for the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026. Read the final report that came out of the working group here.
Full text of the bill can be found here. Read a summary of the bill here.
