Senator’s staff contacted state and federal labor officials during dispute over migrant worker housing

Screenshot from Vermont Public debate at which Lt. Gov. John Rodgers asked Democrat nominee Molly Gray if she had tried to influence the investigation of migrant worker conditions on her brother’s farm. Welch is a former staffer for Sen. Peter Welch.

By Guy Page

Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers is questioning whether political connections influenced a labor investigation involving his Democratic opponent Molly Gray’s family farm, following the release of state correspondence showing that U.S. Sen. Peter Welch’s office intervened on behalf of the agricultural operation.

VDC has contacted the Gray campaign for a comment and will publish it as soon as it is received.

The correspondence, contained in a 110-page collection of Vermont Department of Labor records, shows that a Welch staff member contacted state labor officials several times in January 2025 concerning housing inspections and compliance requirements at Four Corners Farm in South Newbury. The farm is operated by members of Gray’s family.

The documents show that the Welch office became participants in the back-and-forth between farm owner Peter Gray and state and federal officials, at Peter Gray’s request. There is no mention of Molly Gray initiating any contact or attempting to influence the investigation. 

It is not uncommon for representatives of senators or House members to sit in as interested observers in a regulatory process. In his press statement issued Thursday morning, Rodgers said Gray’s former job as a Welch aide raises questions about the nature of his office’s involvement.

The records have become an issue in the lieutenant governor’s race following an October 6 Vermont Public debate, when Rodgers questioned Gray about migrant worker housing conditions at the farm and whether she had used her political influence to affect the investigation.

“Why did you not speak out against the mistreatment of migrant workers on your family farm? And did you use your influence to direct the investigation?” Rodgers asked.

Gray initially objected to the question. When moderator Mikaela Lefrak pressed her specifically on whether she had used her influence as a former lieutenant governor, Gray answered, “No, of course not.”

The newly publicized correspondence documents assistance from Welch’s office but does not establish that Molly Gray requested that assistance, participated in the communications or influenced the investigation.

Welch staff contacted labor officials

According to the records cited by the Rodgers campaign, Robert Gray contacted Michelle Monroe of Welch’s Senate office on January 23, 2025, in correspondence titled “Release for Welch office.”

Over the following week, Monroe contacted Vermont Department of Labor officials seeking updates on the farm’s compliance requirements, questioning aspects of the state’s enforcement process and requesting inspection documents.

On January 28, Monroe asked state officials, “Any resolution on the horizon yet?”

Two days later, Monroe expressed concern about the cost of complying with state housing requirements. The correspondence referenced an estimated $300,000 in improvements and the possibility that the farm could go out of business without access to seasonal workers.

Monroe also reported speaking directly with Steven McKinney of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which was investigating the operation.

A January 31 meeting agenda prepared by Vermont Deputy Labor Commissioner Kendal Smith identified senior officials from several state agencies and included the entry:

“Peter Gray; Michelle Monroe, Senator Welch’s Office (at Peter’s request).”

The correspondence indicates that members of the Gray family sought and received assistance from Welch’s office during the regulatory proceedings. Such constituent assistance is a routine function of congressional offices, although Rodgers is questioning whether the family’s political relationships played any role in obtaining it.

Gray previously worked for Welch

Molly Gray previously worked in Washington as Welch’s scheduler and executive assistant. Welch has endorsed her 2026 campaign for lieutenant governor and recently headlined a campaign fundraiser.

The relationship has drawn attention because of Gray’s denial during the October 6 debate that she used her influence in connection with the farm investigation.

However, the records described by the Rodgers campaign do not identify Gray as a participant in the January 2025 communications. Nor do they establish that Welch’s office caused state or federal regulators to change their findings, enforcement decisions or inspection schedules.

The correspondence raises questions about who first requested the senator’s assistance, whether Molly Gray made any referrals or introductions, what Welch’s staff discussed with federal investigators and whether those communications affected the regulatory proceedings.

Rodgers calls for answers

“Vermonters deserve to know whether political connections played a role in how this investigation was handled,” Rodgers said in a statement.

“My opponent told Vermonters during our debate that she didn’t use her influence. Now we have emails showing that her family’s operation received direct assistance from the office of a United States senator she used to work for.”

Rodgers said the public should know “how that happened, who made the calls, and whether an ordinary Vermont farmer without those connections would have received the same attention.”

“This is about transparency, accountability, and making sure everyone is treated equally under the law,” he said.

The dispute concerns housing provided to seasonal agricultural workers employed through the federal H-2A visa program. Earlier state inspection records identified deficiencies involving heating, insulation, flooring, window screens, sanitation and other housing conditions.

The new correspondence adds information about the family’s contacts with elected officials during the regulatory process, but does not by itself resolve questions about the farm’s compliance or the outcome of the federal investigation.

According to the Rodgers campaign, two previously scheduled lieutenant governor debates, on October 14 and 15, were canceled by the Gray campaign. Rodgers had planned to raise the issue during those appearances.