Senator Budd and Colleagues Urge Department of Labor To Repeal Biden-era Regulations That Harms Farmers
This week, Senator Ted Budd (R- North Carolina) and 84 fellow federal lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer urging the Department of Labor to eliminate a Biden-era regulations regarding the H-2A visa program.
As the Members wrote:
“As we continue our work during the 119th Congress here in our nation’s capital, it has been made abundantly clear that farmers continue to face serious challenges back home. Our rural communities have long shown resilience in the face of daunting circumstances and have a proven track record of overcoming various difficulties to get food on the table. Today, they face a number of issues, including high input costs, a widening trade deficit, and a long road to recovery after recent natural disasters. On top of these hardships, the ongoing shortage of a reliable agricultural workforce remains a paramount concern that threatens the future of American agriculture.
“While consistent access to agricultural labor has always been difficult, the Biden Administration further complicated this issue by applying a series of rules that fundamentally altered the implementation of the H-2A visa program and the methodology used to determine the Adverse Effective Wage Rate (AEWR). These changes placed a significant burden on American farmers by further increasing farm labor wages. Your team at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has recognized the impact of these policies and taken important steps to address them. We commend your efforts, particularly with the recent progress in halting enforcement of the Biden Administration’s farm labor unionization rule and advancing a proposal to rescind provisions within it […]
“Enforcement of this rule directly contributes to higher food costs for all Americans. Last Congress, various congressional colleagues helped in leading a bicameral resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to protect producers from this rule. Unfortunately, the rule was still finalized, which has caused unnecessary and burdensome cost increases for our nation’s farmers. We encourage you to fully rescind this out-of-touch rule to create more pragmatic labor wages for America’s farmers.
“The Trump Administration has a unique opportunity to bring long-overdue clarity and stability to agricultural labor policy. As you continue your service as Secretary of Labor, we respectfully urge you to not only push back against the Biden Administration’s harmful rules, but also to work collaboratively with your colleagues in President Trump’s Cabinet and in Congress to make the H-2A visa program more accessible and flexible for all producers, and to reform the AEWR methodology to prevent unsustainable wage increases. We stand ready to partner with you and your team at the DOL to find practical, long-term solutions to these pressing challenges.”
For a full list of signers and to read the full text of this letter, click HERE.
Here is what North Carolina farmers had to say about this provision:
Kim Lequire, a North Carolina sweetpotato farmer, said, “Farmers across the United States do not take lightly the charge and the challenges that come along with feeding a growing population, both here and across the globe. American agricultural products such as meats, produce, fibers, and forestry products are known around the world for their quality and highly regulated standards because American farmers have risen to every challenge and demand for safe and affordable food, produced ethically, efficiently and sustainably, but those demands come at a high cost and our nation's farmers do not see anywhere close to the return or margin like we used to. As if the AEWR rate that increases every year via an unknown and antiquated system was not enough, the Biden administration placed extra rules and regulations on US producers with different tiers of pay and requirements to promote unions amongst its workforce even though many states do not require unionization at all and H2A employees are seasonal.”
Marlowe Ivey, a Wayne County hog farmer, said, “While reasonable rules are necessary, the layers of overlapping and unclear mandates are hurting—not helping—our ability to farm efficiently and sustainably. Permits, paperwork, and unnecessary regulations pull time and resources away from the land, hitting small and family-owned farms the hardest. When regulations are made without farmer input or practical support, they drive up costs, limit innovation, and discourage the next generation from farming. At a time when food security and rural economies are at risk, we cannot afford to regulate our farms out of existence. I support Senator's Budd's initiative to end rules and regulations harming American agriculture and food production.”
