Washington, D.C. Update

July 8, 2022

The Department of Labor sent its final rule on the H-2A temporary agricultural program to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for approval, the final review step before publication to the Federal Register. In December 2021, the Department published draft regulations to the Register to raise required wages for farmworkers on H-2A visas. The proposed rule would also require all workers who fall within multiple job classifications to be paid under the occupation with the highest wage.

This week, a dozen House Republicans sent a letter to President Biden calling to initiate a dispute settlement case against India for violating World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments. The letter cites Indian over subsidization of rice and wheat as disruptive to global markets and US producers. The letter urges the President to file a formal request against India and to continue monitoring WTO members’ domestic support programs. The letter can be found here.

The World Bank published an article on the impacts of export restrictions on food prices and global food security. The article notes rice prices have increased by 12.3% this year as a result of export bans implemented in response to the war in Ukraine and large exporters such as India reducing their supply.

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