House Ag Committee Chairman GT Thompson has introduced legislation to modernize the foreign guestworker program which has been criticized as outdated by farmers for years. The American Farm Bureau Federation announced its support of Thompson’s “Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026” on Monday with farmers across the nation voicing their approval as well. Ryan Akin is a dairy farmer from New York and says his operation depends heavily on H-2A labor.
“We have a great need for the labor. This bill is a step in the right direction. It’s a step that I’ve been to DC many time, lobbying for to have this labor access, ability to use the labor, and it’s really not a question of are there people in our local town that will do this work, because there isn’t.”
Philip Hunter runs a nursery operation in Alabama and serves as chair of AFBF’s Labor Issue Advisory Committee. He says all, not just some, of agriculture needs access to foreign guestworkers.
“Dairy farms were mentioned, but there’s other segments of ag and even the supply chain that need workers and need access to this program, and we’re excited about this legislation that Chairman Thompson has brought and are here working to help see the success.”
Linda Pryor, an apple grower from North Carolina, says streamlining the H-2A program will help everyone concerned, including the workers.
“When they are delayed, and lots of times they are traveling long distances to be able to go to their appointments before they can come, and if they get there and their appointment’s delayed, they’re forced to either stay in a hotel room or make the travel back to their home and then come back again later, and that’s very hard for them too. So anything that we can do to make communication between the agencies that are involved easier and better, and help everybody know what’s going on, and be on the same page, I think will be a welcome change to the program.”
There are political challenges to the bill, which falls under the jurisdiction of the House Judiciary Committee, not the Ag Committee.