Industry roundtable with USDA Secretary Vilsack and Senators Bennet and Crapo provide encouraging signs that long-term labor solutions can be found in Senate
WASHINGTON – The National Potato Council (NPC) today participated in an agriculture industry roundtable discussion with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) in an effort to find bipartisan support for legislation that would improve upon the House-passed Farm Workforce Modernization Act. NPC CEO Kam Quarles released the following statement after today’s meeting:
“This morning’s meeting with Secretary Vilsack, Senator Bennet, and Senator Crapo on agricultural labor reform was very positive. During the roundtable, the industry partners committed to working with them in supporting a bill in the Senate that will secure a bipartisan 60-vote majority. We must act immediately as the current broken system means higher costs for family farms, more uncertainty for essential farm workers, and a less secure immigration system for all Americans. The House took a strong bipartisan step toward solving that crisis and we urge the Senate to assist Senator Bennet and Senator Crapo in building on that success with their improvements this summer.”
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The National Potato Council represents the interests of U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental and trade issues. The value of U.S. potato production is over $4.5 billion annually and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs both directly and indirectly.
