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Posted on 07/20/2026 2:54:26 PM PDT by Twotone
Idaho Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson recently signed on to a renewed attempt to overhaul the visa program for agricultural migrant workers.
The proposed legislation includes a change long-sought by Idaho’s dairy industry leaders — it would allow year-round agriculture producers to access workers, instead of just for seasonal labor.
“This is an issue that I’ve been working on for probably 20 years with the dairy industry in Idaho and the challenges they face,” Simpson said at a June 30 press conference to announce the legislation.
The bill, H.R. 9535, would make several changes to the H-2A visa program, which currently allows farm employers to hire workers from outside the country only if the work is seasonal and temporary. The bill is sponsored by Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, and co-sponsored by a mostly Republican group of 49 congressional lawmakers.
Around 90% of Idaho dairy workers are foreign-born and Spanish-speaking, according to the Idaho Dairymen’s Association. Industry leaders, including dairymen’s association CEO Rick Naerebout, have long bemoaned the fact that year-round agricultural producers cannot utilize the H-2A visa program to hire workers, and that Americans are not lining up to take these jobs. Because of this, the industry relies on undocumented workers, Naerebout previously told the Sun.
Naerebout lauded the proposed legislation in a press release sent by Simpson’s office.
“We are deeply grateful that the Congressman is once again showing that he is willing to lead on securing a workforce for Idaho’s dairy farms,” Naerebout said. “Idaho’s farm families are the backbone of our state and having access to a secure, stable agricultural workforce is key to the economic success of those farms and our rural communities.”
What would the bill do?
The overhaul of the farmworker program would allow workers to remain with the same employer for up to 350 days a year. Currently, job contracts under H-2A may last 10 months, or just over 300 days a year. The average contract is around six months, according to a 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
The bill would also allow employers to apply for staggered entry of workers to do year-round work.
The bill would also create a pathway to accessing a legal work visa for certain undocumented agricultural workers with a required background check, but it would not provide a pathway to citizenship.
The fees for farmers participating in the program would be reduced under the legislation.
Simpson says passing bill will be ‘challenge,’ but confident it can be done
Simpson at the June 30 press conference acknowledged that there have been multiple unsuccessful efforts to update the H-2A program since it was established in 1987.
Simpson said he and Washington state U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse have brought “several bills,” but that it “became impossible to get it done with the open border.”
“Since the president has closed the border, I think we can get this done,” Simpson said.
The bill has 49 cosponsors, four of whom are Democrats and 45 are Republicans. The issue has divided members of both parties in the past.
In April, the Trump administration cut guest worker wages in the program to ease a farm labor shortage. The move was condemned by liberals, advocates for migrant workers, and hardline conservatives, such as those from the influential Heritage Foundation, NPR reported.
Simpson argued that the bill won’t only help farmers or the workers because it also directly affects the domestic food supply.
“This is a tough challenge … any time you mention the word H-2A or immigration, anything like that, it creates controversy out there,” he said. “This is something that’s needed, not just for agriculture but for the American people.”
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Yep. They are trying to bring in amnesty under the guise of “helping our farmers”. Oh, and meat-packing plants are also included in this category.
Just require that the businesses prove that they attempted to hire Americans for the work before allowing any visa holders. That should be national policy.
I asked Perplexity: Does bill, H.R. 9535, provide any form of amnesty for illegals?
Yes. H.R. 9535—the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026—includes provisions that function as a form of amnesty (or “legalization”) for certain undocumented immigrants already in the U.S., specifically those who can show recent agricultural work.
These Republican scumbags will lose the house over this crap. And they should. Lowlifes want to lose.
No liberalization of any visa program should be enacted until birth right citizenship is changed. Trump should veto anything without legislation to end birth right citizenship, and then let SCOTUS have at that.
Selling out America. Pay decent wages and Americans will work.
Import food and not 3rd worlders.
End ALL H visas!
The scumbags in congress should know by now how we feel about amnesty. Take out the pathway to citizenship, make sure they are not eligible for any social security or health benefits paid for by taxpayers, require farmers to finance a return home if sick or injured & okay...they can stay & work a full year.
These jobs ARE hard to fill with our pansified youth these days.
But NO citizenship.
To much corruption and no enforcement. End all education and work visas.
These jobs ARE hard to fill at the wages being offered
If they use Americans then milk would go up from $5 per gallon to $5.O5 a gallon. The horrors.
The evil managerial class going globalist.
At Fry’s it would go up from $2.69 to $2.72.
The bill to give amnesty to illegal aliens is called The “Securing America’s Workforce Act”.
You don’t hate congress enough.
Don’t we have criminals and welfare people who could be doing this work?
Ain’t no American teat pullers left?
Just one criminal act and out of the country along with any family.
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