Exclusive: Flood Withdraws Support for Ag Bill Accused of Being Backdoor 'Amnesty'
by Lewis Thune
(Picture credit Matt Johnson)
Congressman Mike Flood told The Plains Sentinel that he is no longer supporting the Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act, which some Republicans have accused of being a pathway for “amnesty” for illegal immigrants involved in agricultural work.
“I will be removing myself as a co-sponsor and working toward an alternative to address this issue for farmers and ranchers,” Flood said in a statement to The Plains Sentinel on Friday.
“Nebraska ag producers are the cornerstone of our state’s economy, and we need to take action to address the labor issues hurting farmers and ranchers,” he said. “Concerns from constituents, conservative leaders, and Nebraska ag producers have made clear that provisions in the Securing America’s Workforce Act are not the right way to uphold our immigration laws.”
Congress went into August recess on July 23 and does not return until August 31, which is when he will officially take his name off as a co-sponsor. Flood told The Plains Sentinel he is “listening” and “not willing to move forward on anything that could risk our progress” on securing the border.
Bill Received Rocky Reception from Conservatives
H.R. 9535, the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026, received a rocky reception from conservatives following its rollout earlier this week.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), would attempt to streamline the H-2A visa process for agriculture and agriculture-adjacent industries. It drew immediate criticism from immigration hawks.
“These Republicans just stabbed Trump’s deportation promise in the back with an amnesty farm bill. They’re only gonna get the message one way,” Greg Bovino, Trump’s former Border Patrol chief, said Tuesday on Twitter. “Vote every single one of them out in a massive wave, and replace them with real immigration hawks. Anything less, and they’ll never take us seriously.”
Among the bill’s provisions is a clause that would allow illegal aliens currently within the United States to apply and receive H-2A status if they’ve worked a sufficient time in agriculture. It would also shield their employers from legal action for employing those aliens.
The proposed scope of the bill would apply to all labor that includes “the handling, planting, drying, packing, packaging, processing, freezing, or grading of any agricultural or horticultural commodity in its unmanufactured state,” as well as the loading and transportation of such products.
Bacon Backs Bill
Congressman Don Bacon, who also co-sponsored the bill, defended the bill’s merits against critics on Twitter.
“Nebraska farmers and ranchers help feed and fuel families across America and around the world, and they have been clear that they need a stable, legal agricultural workforce,” Bacon tweeted.
The congressman holds that the H-2A expansion does not amount to amnesty.
“The bill does not grant amnesty to those who entered our country illegally or create a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants. Instead, it follows President Trump’s call to take care of farmers through a legal process. Eligible workers must prove agricultural employment, pass a background check and go through the H-2A process,” Bacon said, adding that of the 500 agricultural organizations supporting the measure, 20 are Nebraska-affiliated.
When reached for comment by The Plains Sentinel, NE-03 Congressman Adrian Smith said he does not support the measure as presently authored.
“I appreciate my colleagues’ efforts to address challenges to labor for America’s agriculture industry. Unfortunately, good intentions can have unintended consequences. As it is currently written, there is a provision that has the potential to reward illegal behavior, which I cannot support,” he said.
In addition to 4 Democratic cosponsors, Rep. Thompson’s bill currently has 47 Republican cosponsors, including Reps. Randy Feenstra and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa.
However, the bill’s route to passage is complicated by its referral to the House Judiciary Committee. Its main provision would reform the Immigration and Nationality Act to move agricultural H-2A visas from the Department of Justice’s purview to the Department of Homeland Security.
Thomas Massie, outgoing GOP congressman from Kentucky, sits on the Judiciary Committee. He has already voiced his opposition to the bill:
“I haven’t been notified that there’s going to be any activity on that bill, but if there were, I would oppose it,” he told reporters outside the Capitol.
GOP leadership in the house has yet to voice its opinion on the matter. But among Republicans across America’s heartland, H.R. 9535 remains a point of division.
— Lewis Thune is a writing fellow with The Plains Sentinel.