Department of Agriculture and the Government Accounting Office as to the seriousness and importance of the housing crisis which now exists. The U.S. Department of Agriculture. in a publication entitled "Housing for Migrant Agricultural Workers." states thatWhen migrant workers are improperly housed ... the entire community suffers. The health and welfare of the individual worker is. of course. of great importance. but. because of the interaction of the worker and the welfare of the Nation. these needs be.. come of interest to all. ... Therefore. good housing for the migrant worker is a necessity. In that same report. the USDA tells us thatAn estimated 750.000 to 1.000.000 domestic farmworkers and family members now migrate each season. This mobile labor force requires approximately 2.5 million bed spaces. This report. incidentally. was issued prior to the time that this administration froze all existing funds for farm labor housing programs. and subsequently declined to request any additional funds for the coming fiscal year. In a report issued in February of this year. the Government Accounting Office had this to say about the areas it surveyed: In each area. lowcost. safe. decent. and sanitary housing available to migrant and other seasonal farmworkers was in short supply and few houses for farmworkers were being constructed. It said that over the 10year period since the housing programs began. we have provided housing for about 470 families and 345 individuals on an average annual basis. Yet the population of migrant and seasonal farmworkers numbers in the millions. The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Agriculture require the Farmers Home Administration to "assume a leadership role in providing decent. safe. and sanitary housing to migrant and other seasonal farmworkers"--under programs authorized by the Housing Act of 1949. as amendedthe act for which we are appropriating funds today. Mr. Chairman. the evidence is overwhelming.
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migrant Migrant