Congresswoman Kat Cammack Issues Statement On “No” Vote For H.R. 1603

Press release from Congresswoman Kat Cammack

Today, Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03) issued the following statement on H.R. 1603, the “Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021.”

“H.R. 1603 grants mass amnesty and a path to citizenship to over one million currently illegal alien farmworkers, their spouses, and children through the “certified agricultural worker” (CAW) program. The H-2A agricultural guest program in the U.S. absolutely needs reform, but this bill isn’t the answer, as it only encourages further illegal immigration and does nothing to address agricultural labor needs in the future.

“As a Representative from a state that heavily values its agricultural production, this bill also does nothing to guarantee long-term wage rate relief for H-2A employers who legally comply with current immigration laws. This bill will displace American workers, as those aliens that receive CAW status will only have to work in agriculture for 90 days within one calendar year before receiving a green card. Children and spouses have no requirements.

“Additionally, as the Republican leader on Florida agriculture, nothing is more important than finding bipartisan, commonsense, long-term solutions to the issues that have plagued our producers for years. But this bill is not that fix.

“While our country is in the middle of an intensifying border crisis, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a naked attempt at mass amnesty at the worst possible time. I will always fight for our country’s producers, but this bill could not be more in opposition to our farmers’ needs. I will be voting no on H.R. 1603.”