Congress’ Failure to Include Agricultural Immigration Reform in Omnibus is a Tremendous Missed Opportunity says IFPA

December 20, 2022

Washington, DC - The International Fresh Produce Association, the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire global fresh produce and floral supply chain, expressed extreme disappointment today that Congress failed to include bipartisan agriculture immigration reform in the omnibus appropriations bill.

The Affordable and Secure Food Act to reform the nation’s agricultural immigration system would have provided much-needed certainty for American agricultural producers and farmers desperately in need of reliable, legal workers. The current omnibus does nothing to address the crippling labor shortage that has had devastating impacts on the nation’s fresh produce industry and American consumers.

“Congress has once again failed to deliver the reforms that the fresh produce industry and its agricultural allies have long fought for. IFPA did its part to reach an agreement with advocates for our workers and garnered bipartisan support for compromise legislation. Additionally, IFPA joined with hundreds of agriculture organizations actively supporting the bill and pushing Senate leadership to bring up the Affordable and Secure Food Act,” said IFPA’s Chief Policy Officer Robert Guenther.

“Congress missed a huge opportunity and did not do their part to improve production and increase the legal supply of labor. Because of this inaction, consumers will continue to see record prices at the grocery store, producers will continue to face unaffordable, unpredictable input costs from out-of-control wage hikes, and we will continue down the path to being a nation that is increasingly food insecure. We implore the Senate to not walk away from this effort before they adjourn,” said Guenther.

IFPA remains deeply committed to leading the push for Congress to reform immigration for the agriculture and food industry. We are grateful for the efforts of bipartisan leaders in both the House and the Senate including Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA), and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) who understand what is at stake for farms and food and boldly pushed for passage of immigration reform in the 117th Congress.

Congress’ Failure to Include Agricultural Immigration Reform in Omnibus is a Tremendous Missed Opportunity says IFPA

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