Congress freezes wages for 2 million temporary farm workers
H.R. 5596 — FARMS Act · Filed by John Moolenaar (R-MI) · 12 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 26, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows the Secretary of Labor to freeze the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR)—the minimum wage agricultural employers must pay H-2A visa workers—at its current level for up to 2 years if the Department determines there is no valid method to calculate a new rate. The bill effectively prevents wage increases for temporary agricultural workers during this period.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a wage freeze for temporary agricultural workers. While framed as a technical fix (pausing AEWR calculation pending a 'valid method'), the practical effect is to suppress labor costs for agricultural employers by preventing wage adjustments for 2 years.
What the text implies
- The 2-year freeze may be renewable or extended if the Secretary continues to claim no 'valid method' exists, creating a potential indefinite wage suppression mechanism.
- H-2A workers cannot negotiate wages; they are admitted under employer sponsorship and face deportation if they leave. A wage freeze disproportionately harms workers with no exit option.
- The bill does not define what constitutes a 'valid method' to calculate AEWR, giving the Secretary broad discretion to justify continued freezes.
- Real wages for H-2A workers will decline over 2 years as inflation erodes the frozen nominal wage, while agricultural employers' labor costs remain stable.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
H-2A temporary agricultural workers—among the most vulnerable in the U.S. labor market—face wage stagnation while inflation erodes purchasing power. Agricultural employers benefit from suppressed labor costs. The bill creates a 2-year window during which the government suspends its duty to ensure wage adequacy for a captive workforce with limited bargaining power.
Who stands to gain
- agricultural employers (particularly large-scale operations relying on H-2A labor)
- agricultural labor contractors
Named in the bill
Secretary of Labor, H-2A visa program, Agricultural employers, Department of Labor, Immigration and Nationality Act, Code of Federal Regulations (20 CFR 655.1308)
Where it stands
12 cosponsors: 12 Republicans.
- Sep 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (688 characters) on Aug 19, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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