In a show of bipartisan cooperation, the House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment to the FY 2025 Homeland Security funding bill that aims to ease visa restrictions for seasonal workers—signaling growing congressional recognition of widespread workforce shortages across multiple industries.

The bipartisan measure, offered by Representative Andy Harris (R-MD), would allow agricultural employers using the H-2A visa program to keep foreign workers in the U.S. for the full duration of their job offer, up to one year. It also calls for reforms to the H-2B visa program for non-agricultural seasonal workers by allowing employers to hire the same number of workers annually without being subject to current visa caps or the lottery system.

While the Appropriations Committee is not the proper body for authorizing policy changes, appropriators said they hope their united stance will prompt the Judiciary Committee and other panels to take up the issue.

Bipartisan acknowledgment of workforce shortages—and calls for modernizing the visa system—could create momentum for broader immigration-related reforms.

LeadingAge continues to advocate for immigration policies that recognize and support the vital contributions of foreign-born workers.