Legislation addressing H-2A program officially introduced

A bill addressing the accessibility and cost of the H-2A visa program has been officially introduced.

U.S. House Agriculture Committee chair Glenn Thompson introduced the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 on June 30. The bill would represent the first statutory reform to the program that allows non-immigrant foreign workers to perform temporary agricultural jobs in the U.S. when domestic workers are unavailable in 40 years.

The legislation (.pdf) addresses ongoing agricultural labor challenges through three main pillars:

• Expanding access: The bill removes the requirement that agricultural work must be seasonal. It retains the temporary designation, defining it as a job contract of 350 days or less. Additionally, it updates what qualifies as “agricultural labor or services” and transfers the authority to further refine that definition to the Secretary of Agriculture.
• Controlling costs: The legislation codifies recent reforms to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) methodology and simplifies overall program requirements.
• Streamlining operations: The bill requires federal agencies to build a unified online platform to ensure timely communication and tracking for employers. It clearly outlines agency roles to eliminate regulatory duplication and offers flexibility to accommodate diverse production needs while maintaining rules-based standards.

“It’s time to bring the H-2A program into the 21st century,” Thompson said in a statement. “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 The H-2A visa program is woefully outdated, and it no longer meets the needs of American agricultural production.”

The bipartisan legislation (.pdf) is supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Western Growers Association, the Ag Wage Reform Coalition and more than 400 other agricultural groups.

“For decades, American farmers of all kinds have battled a broken, bureaucratic system just to secure the workforce needed to feed our nation, and the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act finally seeks to provide the reform Farmers, Consumers, and our Economy needs,” John Hollay, president & CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, said in a statement. “This bipartisan bill addresses head-on the exact challenges our organization and agricultural employers nationwide have focused on for years: expanding access for year-round sectors, implementing predictable cost controls and streamlining the fractured program administration.”

After hearing testimonials from agricultural producers across the country, Thompson organized an informal working group of committee members to analyze root policy failures and propose solutions, according to a statement on his website.

“There is no greater national security threat than disruptions to our food supply,” 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.”

H-2A program background

• The H-2A program was established by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. 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.
• In 2024, more than 300,000 H-2A visas were issued — a 2766% growth rate from 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. From 2010 to 2025, increases to the AEWR outpaced inflation by 70%.