Labor

A recent Supreme Court decision ending Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians would have ripple effects across the economy, affecting the agriculture and food industries and other sectors, according to immigrant advocacy groups. 

USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Mindy Brashears sits down with Agri-Pulse to discuss the agency's response to the spread of New World screwworm, as well as its broader agenda that includes Salmonella reform, line-speed regulations, support for small meat processors and expanded use of Product of USA labeling.

A coalition including unions and nonprofits is challenging the Agriculture Department’s reorganization of agencies including the Food and Nutrition Administration and Agricultural Research Service, citing the department's own plan to allege that the reorganization is specifically designed to reduce personnel.

A bill to overhaul America’s H-2A agricultural guest worker program stands out from prior attempts thanks to a secure U.S. border, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson tells Agri-Pulse Newsmakers. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday the administration would not renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement, but the agreement is still in place.

Phil Glaize, a third-generation farmer in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, arrived in Washington this week with renewed optimism for long-needed ag labor reforms. Glaize and dozens of ag producers from across the country gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday for the release of the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., has unveiled legislation to significantly expand and modernize the H-2A agricultural guest worker program with the backing of more than 400 farm organizations, setting up what supporters hope will be the most significant opportunity for ag labor reform by Congress in years.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., will formally introduce his Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act today, setting up what supporters hope will be the most significant opportunity for ag labor reform by Congress in years. The Supreme Court on Monday affirmed the president’s ability to fire the leaders of several independent agencies at will, overturning a 91-year-old precedent that had shielded them from executive influence.

Almost a third of all U.S. agricultural exports are on the line as the first joint review of the North American trade deal starts later this week. In Congress, debate over foreign farm workers begins anew with the unveiling of a plan to revamp ag labor law. 

President Donald Trump made the biggest pitch for year-round E15 since his first term, calling on Congress to include the pro-ethanol measure in a nearly $88 billion legislative package to fund a raft of items, including the Iran war and $11 billion in financial aid for farmers. Members of Clean Fuels Alliance America gathered on Capitol Hill this week to stress the need to pass legislation to expand biomass-based diesel use in ocean-going vessels. 

Former officials at USDA who dealt with New World screwworm as it advanced closer to the U.S. push back against criticism of the Biden administration's efforts leveled by Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins.