VISAS FOR SHRIMPERS

On 2026-05-15, Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-34) delivered a floor speech titled "VISAS FOR SHRIMPERS" in the House.

VISAS FOR SHRIMPERS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 83 (Friday, May 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 83 (Friday, May 15, 2026)] [House] [Page H3546] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] VISAS FOR SHRIMPERS (Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of an issue threatening the Texas Gulf Coast shrimping and fishing industry, an industry that has thrived for generations but is now under threat to unfair competition from foreign countries and foreign import seafood. This is an issue that this administration said they would address under America First policies, but they forgot the Texas fishing industry, and now labor shortages exacerbate the H-2B visa caps that are preventing small, family-owned businesses from securing the necessary workforce. To make matters worse, our shrimpers must now catch three times the load to make up for the high fuel costs of $80,000 per vessel. In response to this crisis, I co-led the House-passed Save Our Shrimpers Act to block taxpayer-funded projects from financing foreign shrimp industries. The administration must provide immediate relief by giving our shrimpers and fishermen the ability to hire the workforce they need to survive the season. I strongly urge President Trump and this administration to release more H-2B or H-2A visas so we can bring certainty to the coastal communities and ensure the American shrimping and fishing industry can survive. ____________________