Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), issued the following statements after the passage of their bipartisan legislation, the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, which passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee today. The bill brings together government and private sector experts to eliminate unlawful robocalls originating abroad and prevent them from entering the U.S. to target Americans. The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act is now headed to the Senate floor for full consideration and passage into law.
“Every single month, millions of Americans are targeted by billions of scam calls attempting to rob them of their security, privacy, and hard-earned dollars, including many from foreign criminals. This needs to stop. Today, my colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance the common-sense legislation I co-authored with Senator Welch to put an end to nefarious foreign scams deceiving the American people. I hope my Senate colleagues will join us and quickly act to pass the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act into law to help put a stop to this exploitation,” said Senator Budd.
“Vermonters receive nearly 3.5 million robocalls every month. And it’s not only our state—folks in red and blue states alike are sick and tired of picking up the phone and wondering if they’re talking to a friend or being scammed. As foreign robocallers step up their efforts to exploit and prey on vulnerable people, we need to do more to combat this unlawful practice and protect Americans from scams,” said Senator Welch. “I’m thankful for the support of the Commerce Committee on this bipartisan legislation and look forward to bringing this bill to the Senate floor.”
BACKGROUND
The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act would establish an interagency task force comprising key representatives from the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Department of Justice, as well as experts in voice service and analytics, telecommunications technology, marketing organizations, and consumer advocacy.
This task force will evaluate foreign robocalls and determine the most effective strategies to combat them, with the goal of enhancing international cooperation to reduce illegal robocalls. The task force will also help ensure that the Department of Justice is adequately equipped to address and prosecute criminals behind the influx of foreign robocalls.
Read the full text of this bill HERE.
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