Ag labor, water issues of highest priority

The year 2020 was unlike any in our lifetime. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged us in ways we never thought possible. Paired with the prospect of another drought, this year looks to be just as challenging for our ag communities. As a ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, I remain committed to ensuring they have the resources needed to weather this once in a lifetime crisis: A skilled workforce and reliable water supply.

Last year, Congress passed three relief packages totaling more than $6 trillion to help families, businesses and unemployed workers suffering from the impacts of the coronavirus. Now, with the arrival of vaccines, hope is finally on the horizon to gain control over this terrible disease. But one group was deserving of more: Farm workers. People who work in the fields, packing sheds and food processing facilities should be treated as the essential workers they are. They, together with the rest of American agriculture, put food on America's dinner tables every night.

There are three million farm workers in the United States, the majority of whom are undocumented Latino immigrants. And they are being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Last year through record-setting heat, hazardous air quality from wildfires and the risk of catching COVID-19, they showed up every day to do their job. And they continue to do so.

I often say food is a national security issue. Therefore, it is our responsibility in government to ensure these essential workers have the resources they need to survive through difficult times such as these. I have fought every day through this pandemic to do just that. I've been working with the Biden Administration and Governor Newsom to protect these workers and to increase vaccination supplies in the San Joaquin Valley. As we see our vaccine distributions increase across the state, we must ensure everyone has access to a vaccine that needs it and farm workers, who we have deemed essential, are no exception.

But we can go beyond providing vaccines and protective equipment to ensure our farming communities have a healthy, robust supply of quality labor. We must also provide them a path to legal citizenship. This month, I joined my colleagues to re-introduce the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bill that would provide a path to residency for these hard-working individuals, provided they meet requirements such as proving they have worked in agriculture in the past and will continue to work in agriculture in the future.

Farm workers are part of our communities and are some of the hardest working people I've met. Without them, California agriculture and our local economy could not thrive. They should not work in fear. Providing them a path to legal residency will help stabilize a workforce for farms around the country and alleviate the hardships they have struggled with for years. This bipartisan bill is a monumental step in improving our immigration system and is good for farmers, farm workers and American agriculture.

The issue of water, our most precious resource, is no less complicated or important. Water is the foundation of our valley economy. Farmers need water to feed the world and life becomes near impossible for those who lack clean drinking water. Very soon I will introduce a bill to complete repairs to the Delta-Mendota Canal, the California Aqueduct, and the Friant-Kern Canal - all critical to delivering water supplies to farming communities and residents in the San Joaquin Valley.

The Restore Essential Conveyance Act would provide $600 million to complete the necessary repairs to restore and increase the resiliency of these canals. Built in the ‘50s and ‘60s, we're relying on the investments of our parents and grandparents for the future sustainability of our state. This is no longer an option. Without immediate repair, the ability to deliver water to our farmers and communities is in jeopardy. This bill is an investment in our future and every day we don't act we lose our most precious commodity.

As a third-generation farmer, I know how important it is to be a strong advocate on behalf of our valley's agriculture communities. It has been my honor and privilege to serve as your congressman and working for the betterment of our ag industry has and will always be my highest priority