In light of current labor shortages, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) helped lead a bipartisan contingent of 39 lawmakers in urging the Biden administration to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for fiscal year (FY) 2025.
“We write on behalf of seasonal businesses in our states — including employers of housekeepers in tourist destinations, landscapers with defined seasons, seafood processors with short harvesting windows, and fairs and carnivals — who are struggling to hire a sufficient number of temporary, seasonal laborers to support their operations,” wrote the senators in an Oct. 23 letter sent to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Acting Secretary Julie Su.
Sen. Rounds and his colleagues urged DHS, in consultation with DOL, to utilize the authority provided by Congress in the FY 2025 Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for FY 2025 as they did during 2024, according to their letter, which noted a growing demand for H-2B workers as employers continue to struggle with staffing shortages.
“These visas will help employers handle their labor challenges, and provide additional certainty regarding their workforce planning decisions in the coming months,” the senators wrote. “We urge you to promptly publish a temporary rule implementing the release of these supplemental visas.”
Among the lawmakers who joined Sen. Rounds in signing the letter were U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Angus King (I-ME).