House Ag Committee Chair Introduces Labor Legislation

Finding and retaining workers remains one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture today. Farm Credit East regularly hears from customers across the Northeast who struggle to secure the workforce needed to operate and grow their businesses. This issue is not unique to the Northeast and can be felt across the nation, regardless of the type of farming operation.

The H-2A program was created to provide a legal guestworker program to help agricultural employers address labor shortages. While participation has increased in recent decades, the program has struggled to keep pace with the needs of today’s operations.

In response to these challenges, House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) introduced H.R. 9535, the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 (SAWA), legislation aimed at modernizing and improving the H-2A program. According to Chairman Thompson, the program is "woefully outdated" and no longer reflects the realities of today's agricultural workforce needs.

How could H.R. 9535 help agricultural employers?

The Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act would make several significant changes to the H-2A program. Among its key provisions, the bill would:

• Expand access to H-2A labor for certain year-round agricultural operations.
• Modernize labor certification requirements and streamline the application process.
• Allow employers greater flexibility by permitting staggered worker arrival and departure dates.
• Improve coordination among government agencies through a national online platform. Create clear housing standards and compliance requirements.
• Strengthen worker protections, including wage safeguards and heat illness prevention requirements.
• Reform wage calculations to provide greater predictability for employers while maintaining worker protections.

It is also important to understand what this bill does not do. While the focus is on expanding access to the H-2A program, the bill does not create a pathway for U.S. citizenship. H-2A workers would continue to participate in the program as nonimmigrant workers under existing immigration law.

What Happens Next?

Currently, the bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives and has a growing number of co-sponsors. Labor issues fall under the jurisdiction of the House Judiciary Committee, where the bill awaits consideration from Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-4). While there are multiple paths for the bill to advance, there are only a few weeks left on the legislative schedule with a number of competing priorities, including the 2026 Farm Bill.

While the bill continues to move through Congress, agricultural organizations across the country are advocating for its passage. Farm Credit East has joined more than 400 agricultural organizations in supporting the legislation by signing on to letters of support, citing the need for a workforce program that better meets the needs of today's agricultural employers.

Currently, both the Senate and House of Representatives have district work periods now through Labor Day. This provides an excellent opportunity to continue building relationships and discussing the importance of labor reform. We encourage producers to contact your elected officials and advocate for the needed improvements included in the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026.

You can find contact information for your elected officials here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member. If you have any questions or want to learn more about this legislation, contact Danielle Cummins, Legislative Affairs Officer, at Danielle.cummins@farmcrediteast.com.