While press attention has focused on the November elections, USApple continued to push for our top legislative priorities throughout the summer, with extensive meetings and outreach to congressional offices and Administration officials. USApple led efforts of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance both in D.C. and with grassroots and Member visits to farms to ensure the “wins” achieved in the House Farm Bill – such as increased funding for research and export promotion programs – stay in the final product. Apple members of Congress championed these improvements on a bipartisan basis and as a result they were included in the House Bill and are supported by the Senate Committee leadership. Leadership of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees hope they can get a Farm Bill across the finish line post-election.
Election year politics make broad agriculture labor reform unlikely, so we focused efforts on targeted incremental improvements, including a two-year pause on increases to the AEWR and rolling back onerous new regulatory burdens imposed on H-2A users. Both are a big lift, but have bipartisan support with 120 House members voicing support for the wage freeze. The wage freeze and regulatory improvements were included in the House funding bill for the Department of Labor, but that is the first step in a long process. Bipartisan legislation has also been introduced. USApple and our coalition partners will keep pursuing any and every opportunity available to give even nominal relief.