Congress freezes farm worker wages while inflation erodes their pay
H.R. 1624 — Supporting Farm Operations Act of 2025 · Filed by John Moolenaar (R-MI) · 14 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 26, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill freezes the minimum wage that agricultural employers must pay H-2A temporary foreign workers at the level that existed on December 31, 2023, through the end of 2026, preventing any increases. It also directs the Labor Department to use a 'primary duties' test when classifying workers' job categories for wage purposes, which may allow employers to pay lower wages if a worker's main task falls into a lower-wage category even if they perform higher-wage work.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a wage freeze for a vulnerable workforce, coupled with a classification rule that creates downward wage pressure. The stated purpose ('supporting farm operations') masks a direct labor-cost reduction for agricultural employers at workers' expense.
What the text implies
- The 'primary duties evaluation' language is vague and may allow employers to reclassify workers into lower wage categories retroactively or prospectively, creating wage-suppression incentives beyond the freeze itself.
- A 3-year wage freeze during inflationary periods (2024–2026) represents a real wage cut for H-2A workers, who have no collective bargaining power and limited recourse.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
agricultural employers (farms, agribusiness); labor-intensive agricultural operations