Leaders of the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday named a 14-member working group, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, that is supposed to find solutions for the labor challenges facing farmers.
The working group, whose members largely represent districts where workforce challenges are particularly acute, is charged with first writing an interim report that will detail the shortcomings of the H-2A visa program, and then producing a final report with recommendations. Reps. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Don Davis, D-N.C., will co-chair the group.
The other Republican members are Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, Doug LaMalfa of California, Nick Langworthy of New York, David Rouzer of North Carolina and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin.
The other Democrats in the working group are Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Salud Carbajal and Jim Costa of California, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Darren Soto of Florida and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico.
Crawford told Agri-Pulse the group will start its work next month after the July 4 congressional recess and will have six months to deliver his recommendations. In a joint statement, committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and ranking member David Scott, D-Ga., said the committee “has heard loud and clear from producers across the nation that one of the biggest challenges confronting the agriculture industry is a lack of reliable labor.