FWMA - What Now? Pt 2

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. Without Senate passage of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act before the end of the last Congress, ag labor reform remains in limbo unsure if a fix will come any time soon.

U.S. Representative, Dan Newhouse says, too many Senators were unwilling to pass it because of the crisis at the southern border …

NEWHOUSE … “That’s very frustrating because, as we’ve talked about before, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act is actually part of the solution to getting control of our southern border. But we just could not get enough Senators to change their mind and get it done last term.”

Moving forward? …

NEWHOUSE … “So, what’s the future? We’ll continue to try. We will, at some point, reintroduce legislation in the House.”

Newhouse doesn’t believe the legislation is dead …

NEWHOUSE … “The good thing is that there’s … chuckles … interestingly, a renewed interest in the Senate. There’s a bipartisan group of Senators who have been down to the border this week, as a matter of fact, talking about the need to improve not only the situation at the border, but immigration policies overall in our country.”

But, Newhouse says, it won’t be easy …

NEWHOUSE … “It’s going to be more difficult. There’s no question about it. But I think we have to keep trying and I will continue to keep trying to get this done.”

Newhouse says without an adequate workforce, our crops will go unharvested, and our food supply chain is placed further at risk.