U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME) are urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for fiscal year 2026.
H-2B visas fill needs for small businesses when there are not enough workers to fill the temporary, seasonal positions, the senators said.
As required by law, employers must first make a concerted effort to hire American workers to fill open positions. When the local workforce is insufficient, H-2B visas are used to employ workers to support local businesses and economies.
“Chronic labor shortages—faced by seasonal U.S. employers throughout the nation’s history—have been exacerbated by the post-pandemic evolution of the American workforce,” the senators wrote in a letter to DHS and DOL leaders. “As this need grows, so does the pressure on U.S. workers, whose employers’ workforce needs cannot be met with American workers alone. The H-2B program places requirements on employers to recruit U.S. workers, who are intentionally prioritized by the program and receive demonstrated, positive impacts from their seasonal colleagues.”
Rounds and King were joined in their request by 31 other senators from both parties, including Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE).
“An efficient analysis, issuance of a rule, and release of these visas allows the supplemental tranche of H-2B visas to meet the seasonal market demand during the market cycles when they are most needed,” the senators said in the letter. “We thank you for your continued support—in recognizing the vital benefit to the economy of these seasonal, temporary work visas—and we are hopeful the maximum allowable FY26 supplemental visas will promptly be released pursuant to Congressional authority and in the same manner as in the three previous years.”