Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC - As a Member of the House Agriculture Committee’s Agricultural Labor Working Group, Congressman David Rouzer (NC-07) participated in a series of roundtables over the past four months with stakeholders, employers, and workers. During these roundtables, participants work to identify and address the complexities and burdens facing the nation's agriculture workforce.

This week, the Agricultural Labor Working Group released an interim report highlighting the issues exacerbating the lack of available domestic workforce, its impact on our nation’s domestic food supply, and potential solutions to address this critical challenge.

"Today's interim report details the unique workforce issues faced by farmers and producers across the country," said Congressman Rouzer.  “The H-2A program has become a bureaucratic quagmire of high cost requirements, paperwork, and overly burdensome rules.  I look forward to continuing to work with the Working Group Co-Chairmen Crawford and Davis to create a final report with bipartisan policy recommendations on how Congress can reform this program to ensure our producers have the support they need to continue to feed America and the world."

Initial findings highlighted in the report include:

• Complexities faced by employers and workers which make the H-2A program more difficult to comply with and administer.
• Benefits and drawbacks of expanded access to the H-2A program.
• Evaluation of the cost burden employers face and how participation in the program will impact labor expenses and profitability.
• Analysis of the working and living conditions of H-2A workers.
• Testimonials from farmers, producers, employers, workers, and stakeholders.
• Evaluation of potential negative impact on our domestic food supply resulting from the H-2A program program.

The interim report can be found on the House Committee on Agriculture's website.  Over the next several months, members of the Working Group will continue to meet to develop legislative proposals to address the issues identified in the report.

Congressman Rouzer welcomes feedback and legislative recommendations from stakeholders. To submit an idea, please contact Bubba White in Congressman Rouzer's office.