USDA may reduce minimum pay requirements for foreign farm workers to help farmers struggling during pandemic

"New White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is working with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to see how to reduce wage rates for foreign guest workers on American farms, in order to help U.S. farmers struggling during the coronavirus, according to U.S. officials and sources familiar with the plans," Franco Ordoñez reports for NPR. "Opponents of the plan argue it will hurt vulnerable workers and depress domestic wages."

The USDA is pushing the measure to help farmers who were already hurting because of the Trump administration's trade war with with China. President Trump said Friday that he is directing Perdue to provide at least $16 billion in relief for farmers and ranchers hurt by the coronavirus, including direct payments. That's on top of the $23 billion earmarked for agriculture in the first stimulus package, Ordoñez reports.

"The nation's roughly 2.5 million agricultural laborers have been officially declared 'essential workers' as the administration seeks to ensure that Americans have food to eat and that U.S. grocery stores remain stocked. Workers on the H-2A seasonal guest-worker program are about 10% of all farmworkers," Ordoñez reports. "Last month, the U.S. State Department said it will start processing more applicants seeking H-2A temporary guest worker visas to ensure U.S. farmers have foreign workers in time for spring planting."