Sponsors (13)
The bill provides targeted disaster stabilization funding to unions and membership organizations that support farm and food-chain workers—improving organizational resilience and oversight—while leaving direct individual relief uncertain, granting the executive discretion over eligibility, and increasing federal spending.
Farmworkers, meatpacking and grocery workers (via their unions and membership organizations) gain access to stabilization grants after eligible disasters to help maintain worker support services and organizational capacity.
Labor unions and eligible organizations receive $50 million in dedicated funding for the stabilization program, making resources available to respond to eligible disasters until the appropriation is spent.
Taxpayers and Congress will get a required program evaluation report within four years, increasing transparency and enabling assessment of program effectiveness and potential legislative adjustments.
Individual farm, meatpacking, and grocery workers may not receive direct cash assistance because the program funds organizations rather than people, so relief depends on organizations passing benefits through to members.
Eligibility and award decisions are delegated to the Secretary, which could create delays, inconsistent decisions, or uncertainty about which organizations receive funding.
The $50 million appropriation increases federal spending and may require trade-offs with other budget priorities or programs funded by Congress.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a USDA grant program to provide stabilization payments to unions and membership organizations representing farm, meat-processing, and grocery workers after disasters, with $50M authorized.
Creates a USDA grant program to make stabilization payments to eligible membership organizations or labor unions that represent farmworkers, meat-processing workers, or grocery workers after a natural disaster or other disaster as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. The program is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service and is intended to help worker organizations stabilize and support affected workers following disasters. Authorizes $50 million in appropriations, available until expended, to carry out the program and requires a report to the House and Senate agriculture committees describing program outcomes and impacts not later than four years after enactment.
Introduced March 16, 2026 by Nikki Budzinski · Last progress March 16, 2026