Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr urged those nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor (DOL) and Department of Agriculture (DOA) to reconsider the decision by the Biden-Harris administration to raise the minimum wage for foreign farm labor in a Friday letter.
After congratulating Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Brooke Rollins on their nominations, Carr urged them to address “the continuously rising” wages the government mandates for temporary farm workers allowed to enter the United States through the H-2A visa program, which allows qualified foreign workers to fill agricultural roles.
Carr explained that the DOL sets wages for foreign workers under this program based on data provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“Regrettably we understand that because of this report, farmers in the State of Georgia will face an estimated 9.5 percent increase in wages they are required to pay if they use H-2A labor,” wrote Carr. “This follows substantial prior increases handed down by DOL during the Biden Administration. These steep increases are crushing Georgia farmers who are already battling sharp declines in net farm income due to historic damage caused by Hurricane Helene.”
According to Carr, these concerns have been ignored under the Biden Biden-Harris administration, with Labor Secretary Julie Sue and Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsak refusing the state’s requests.
“Unfortunately, the actions of the Biden Administration have only served to harm family farms in Georgia and the entire agriculture industry as evidenced by a record agricultural trade deficit announced this week by the USDA,” the attorney general wrote.
In a statement posted to X, the attorney general suggested the price hike would make farming unprofitable for many Georgians before adding, “We look forward to working with President Trump to lower costs for Georgia farmers as we continue to grow our state’s No. 1 industry.”
Carr’s request to work with the Trump administration comes shortly after he became the first candidate to announce his 2026 gubernatorial bid, promising to govern in “the legacy of Brian Kemp, Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue.”
Though nearly two years away, Carr could face a crowded primary, as Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones have either expressed an interest in running or been floated as potential candidates.
While Raffensperger sparred with Trump publicly during the president-elect’s contest of the 2020 election results in Georgia, he was the first to declare the Republican won the Peach State in 2024, when he said Trump had an “insurmountable lead” in votes.
Jones, meanwhile, was endorsed by Trump before winning his election bid in 2022.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
