Letter to Governor Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas - Congressman Castro and Texas Colleagues Urge Gov. Abbott to Prioritize Agricultural Workers for Covid Vaccine Eligibility

Letter

Dear Governor Abbott,
We write to you with urgent concern regarding the vaccination of farmworkers, meatpackers, and
other agricultural workers in the state of Texas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) clearly recommends that agricultural and food workers be prioritized for vaccine eligibility
alongside those over 751
, yet Texas has afforded no such priority to farmworkers, meatpackers,
and other agricultural workers who have been among the most essential and vulnerable of workers
during the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask that you follow the lead of many other states, and ensure
agricultural workers are a prioritized category for vaccination, beginning as soon as possible.
Texas agriculture is a 24-billion-dollar industry2 which helps feed the nation and supports entire
communities across our state. The foundation of this industry is the agricultural workers doing the
hard yet necessary work of tilling and planting the fields, picking the crops, raising and herding
livestock, and working dangerous packing lines. Throughout the pandemic, these agricultural
workers have been unable to stay home. One cannot pick melons, plant corn, or herd cattle via
zoom. As another agricultural work season begins, it is imperative for Texas' agricultural industry
and our nation's food supply chain that these agricultural workers be vaccinated against COVID19, which has taken a frightful toll on agricultural workers across the nation.3
We also note that agricultural workers in Texas and throughout the nation are a largely low-income
and majority Latino workforce4
. In Texas, some of the largest populations of agricultural workers
live in South Texas, where the COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense suffering5
and where
farmworkers have faced unique hardships as a result.6 Prioritizing agricultural workers for vaccine
eligibility is therefore not only critical for the stability of our food supply chain, but also a way to
improve equity in our state's vaccine distribution and reach long-underserved rural communities
along the U.S.-Mexico border.
While we disagree strongly with your recent decision to lift public health restrictions and mask
mandates, that is all the more reason to ensure that agricultural workers are protected as they
continue to do their essential work. It is the least we owe the workers who put food on America's
table.