USDA says labor is a top priority as lawmakers press for H‑2A reform and short‑term fixes

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins told the House Agriculture Committee that farm labor shortages are a major, immediate problem for producers and that the USDA, Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security are working together to find solutions. Rollins said the president raised the issue at a cabinet meeting and directed labor, homeland security and agriculture officials to move quickly on options that would ease access to legal farm labor while preserving enforcement of immigration laws.

Rollins said the administration recognizes that some producers are unable to find workers and that enforcement actions have added uncertainty for employers who need seasonal and year‑round labor. She said the president and Cabinet are ‘‘hyper focused’’ on the problem and that she and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez DeRemer are in daily communication about potential administrative steps and areas where Congress can provide durable legislative relief.

Why it matters: Producers repeatedly told members at roundtables that labor is the single largest constraint on production for specialty crops, dairy and other labor‑intensive sectors. Members asked whether USDA could work with agencies to improve H‑2A timing, wage calculations and administrative processing to prevent harvest losses.

Key facts: Rollins described repeated conversations with the president and cabinet colleagues and said the White House has directed interagency work. She said the administration is open to both administrative mitigations and to congressional changes, and asked members to continue bipartisan work on legislative reform.

Supporting details: Members pressed for immediate, practical fixes — including faster H‑2A processing and temporary adjustments to Adverse Effect Wage Rates — and for Congress to act to create a stable, lawful workforce pipeline. Rollins said the administration is ‘‘working 20 hours a day, sometimes more’’ to respond to producer needs and that the president had specifically instructed cabinet secretaries to address the issue.

Background: The committee has a bipartisan working group focused on agricultural labor solutions. Lawmakers said earlier enforcement actions and broader immigration operations had increased producer uncertainty and that both short‑term administrative steps and longer‑term legislation will be needed.

Ending: Rollins asked members to continue bipartisan engagement; several members said they would press for a statutory fix to H‑2A that reduces seasonal timing problems and administrative burdens.