Washington, DC — Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) announced he was joined by over 100 of his colleagues on a letter recently sent to House Appropriations leaders requesting an H-2A visa guestworker wage freeze in upcoming appropriations legislation. This simple policy fix would lower input costs for the agricultural community and save family farms across the nation.
Earlier this month, county Farm Bureau members and supporters from across Michigan sent more than 230 letters to several members of the state’s congressional delegation who weren’t originally on the letter, urging them to join.
Joining Huizenga on the letter from Michigan were Reps. Tom Barrett, Jack Bergman, John James, Shri Thanedar, and Hillary Scholten, who served as a co-lead on the effort.
Support for freezing the H-2A wage rate is notable not only because it is bipartisan, but also because it includes the majority of the House Republican Conference — 111 members. In the previous Congress, Huizenga led a similar charge to support family farms and secured a policy win in legislation that passed the House Appropriations Committee.
The request comes as farmers continue to grapple with the growing burden of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR)—the required wage employers must pay H-2A workers — which has more than doubled since 2005. In 2025, the national average AEWR reached $18.12/hour, marking a year-over-year increase of more than 3%.
Combined with rising fuel, housing, and fertilizer costs, this wage increase has put many farms at risk of closing. In Michigan, the AEWR sits at $18.15/hour — significantly higher than the approximately $12/hour paid to agricultural workers in Canada and even lower rates in Mexico.
AEWR makes up only a portion of the costs associated with the program. When accounting for required housing and transportation costs, the total per-hour cost for Michigan farmers balloons to more than $30 per hour in many cases.
Supporters say a temporary wage freeze is a reasonable way to ease these mounting pressures, allowing farmers to stay in business and continue putting food on tables across the U.S. and around the world.
A signed copy of the letter and the full press release are available online.
Congressman Huizenga emphasized the urgency behind the effort:
“In Michigan and across our nation, family farms are struggling due in part to soaring H-2A labor costs,” said Huizenga. “Washington should be working to help American farmers lower costs, not crushing them with outdated mandates that balloon their expenses and make it more difficult for these multigenerational farms to keep the lights on.”
“I am proud to lead this bipartisan effort, which includes the majority of House Republicans, to provide the most immediate, practical, and agreed-upon way to enact relief and stop farms here in Michigan and around the country from shutting down their operations,” Huizenga added.
Congressman John Moolenaar, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, also underscored the importance of legislative action:
“I have met with fifth and sixth-generation Michigan farmers who are worried they will be the last in their families to farm unless the Labor Department ends the policies making it harder for them to do business. An AEWR freeze, like the one in my Supporting Farm Operations Act, is a common-sense solution widely supported by the agriculture community. Thank you to Congressman Huizenga for leading this letter with dozens of members supporting our efforts. As our state’s only member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to fight for much-needed relief for farmers,” said Congressman John Moolenaar.
Michigan’s agricultural leaders echoed the call for relief.
"Michigan farmers are beginning another season filled with the hope of delivering safe, plentiful, and affordable crops for consumers. Nonetheless, the farm families and agricultural guest workers crucial for cultivating these crops find themselves in uncertainty due to unsustainable adverse effect wage rates,” said Matt Smego, Director of Public Policy & Commodity Division, Michigan Farm Bureau.
“It is essential for farmers and workers to have a dependable and sensible method for calculating this mandated wage. The Michigan Farm Bureau commends Congressman Huizenga and Congresswoman Scholten for spearheading this effort, alongside many of their colleagues, to instigate necessary changes that will offer relief to America's farm families."
From a national perspective, the American Farm Bureau Federation stressed the importance of immediate action:
“Input costs, including labor, continue to rise as farm families struggle in this troubling farm economy. Without immediate action, these conditions threaten the livelihoods of farmers and their employees. Thankfully, members of Congress are willing to support critical relief until durable reforms are achieved. We are grateful for the consistent leadership of Rep. Huizenga and this bipartisan group of legislators who are standing against the status quo,” said John Walt Boatright, AFBF Director of Government Affairs.
Michigan Farm Bureau is a member of the Protect our Produce Coalition, which includes other key agricultural organizations working to raise awareness about the economic toll of AEWR hikes. Among the coalition members expressing support for the bipartisan letter were the Michigan Apple Association, Michigan Vegetable Council, Michigan Asparagus Association, and Potato Growers of Michigan.
A full list of representatives joining Congressman Huizenga on the letter is posted online in the press release.