Republicans push to expand H-2A farm labor visa program

House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson introduced the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 on June 30. The bill would expand access beyond strictly seasonal work to some year-round agricultural operations, control costs, streamline agency interactions and give employers a more predictable system. Thompson called the current program “woefully outdated” and said disruptions to the food supply pose a national security threat.

Department of Labor FY 2024 data recorded 391,590 positions requested and 384,900 certified, with California, Florida, Georgia and Washington among the top states. A November 2024 GAO report found approved H-2A jobs and visas increased by more than 50% from FY 2018 through FY 2023, and the State Department issued almost 310,000 H-2A visas in FY 2023. Most approved jobs were in the farmworkers and laborers category, and about 51% were concentrated in California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Washington.

An American Farm Bureau Federation analysis put FY 2025 at 398,258 certified positions, up 13,358 from FY 2024, and for the first time more than 400,000 workers were requested. Nearly half of FY 2025 certifications were in Florida, Georgia, California, Washington and North Carolina, with Florida alone accounting for more than 14%. H-2A use has grown 185% in the last 10 years, and only 182 positions out of more than 415,000 advertised in FY 2025 drew a domestic applicant.

GAO found that some H-2A filing steps still require mailing documents instead of full electronic submission, and that the Department of Homeland Security does not yet have full electronic processing for H-2A petitions. Wages calculated under the Adverse Effect Wage Rate have become a major burden, and AEWR increases from 2010 to 2025 outpaced inflation by 70%.

A February 2026 ProPublica investigation found regulators lack enough inspectors to monitor labor contractors and that workers often fear retaliation if they report abuse, including allegations in Georgia and elsewhere. Thompson’s bill would not create a path to citizenship and would keep H-2A temporary.