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Washington, DC—Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) secured an important amendment in the fiscal year 2023 Agriculture appropriations bill. The amendment adds new language to the bill requesting the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand partnerships with appropriate entities to ensure the working conditions and challenges, such as sexual assault, faced by women farmworkers are adequately investigated.

Congressman Cuellar also secured a provision to request that the USDA to explore what strategies might be adopted to address the unique participation challenges faced by rural communities in the border region colonias communities. The Department is urged to work with other Federal agencies to identify best practices and other ways to further assist colonias communities and farmworkers.

“Strong working conditions for our farmworkers are critical to the resiliency of the food and agricultural supply chain. This includes working conditions for women farmworkers who are vulnerable to sexual assault and exploitation in the workplace. This amendment that I secured, requests USDA to conduct a study on the working conditions for women farmworkers who are vulnerable to assault and sexual exploitation and develop recommendations on how the Department can promote improvements through its programs and pilots,” said Congressman Cuellar, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “The Southern Poverty Law Center notes that women farmworkers are among the most vulnerable workers in our country. They fill the lowest paying jobs in our economy and provide the backbreaking labor that helps bring food to our tables. They are cheated out of wages and subjected to an array of other abuses in the workplace and are generally powerless to enforce their rights or protect themselves. This is why I am offering this amendment to examine working conditions facing women farmworkers and developing workable solutions to address these challenges.”

The Congressman continued, “Additionally, our border colonia communities are often concentrated pockets of poverty, physically and jurisdictionally isolated from neighboring cities. They deserve resources for broadband, for healthcare, for telemedicine and for other basic infrastructure. My provision in the bill will ensure that the USDA develops strategies to address the specific challenges of colonia communities along the southern border and give them the opportunity for equitable access to USDA’s many programs and services. I will continue fighting for the resources our border communities need to grow and prosper in the 21^stcentury.

“Thank you to my colleagues, including Congressman Tony Gonzalez, for their support of these critical provisions. I look forward to passing this bill through the House expeditiously,” the Congressman concluded.

The specific language, adopted by the committee, is below:

Study on Working Conditions for Women Farmworkers

Language: “Strong working conditions for our farmworkers are critical to the resiliency of the food and agricultural supply chain. The Committee is supportive of USDA’s efforts to improve working conditions for farmworkers, including for women farmworkers who are vulnerable to sexual assault and exploitation in the workplace. The Committee urges the Department to expand partnerships with appropriate entities to ensure the working conditions and challenges faced by women farmworkers are adequately investigated and incorporated into USDA’s pilots and programs. The Committee requests the Department to conduct a study to 1) understand the work conditions and challenges, such as sexual assault, faced by women farmworkers; and 2) to develop recommendations on how the Department can promote improvements through its programs and pilots.”

Colonias and Farmworker Communities

 Language: “Colonias and Farmworker Communities. – The Committee recognizes the challenges facing colonias and farmworker communities and urges the Department to work with other Federal agencies to identify best practices and other ways to further assist colonias communities and farmworkers. The Committee encourages USDA to explore what strategies might be adopted to address the unique participation challenges faced by rural communities in the border region colonias communities. Further, the Committee encourages the Secretary to support these communities with funds appropriated for the Rural Partnership Network. A report shall be submitted to the Appropriations Committees on these efforts within 60 days of enactment of the Act.”

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