McDowell Leads Bipartisan Effort Introducing House Companion to Sen. Budd and Sen. Welch’s Foreign Robocall Elimination Act

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Addison McDowell (NC-06) led a bipartisan coalition with Reps. Greg Steube (FL-17), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) to introduce the House companion to Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Peter Welch’s (D-Vt.) Foreign Robocall Elimination Act. The bill brings together government and private-sector experts to strengthen efforts to stop unlawful robocalls originating from overseas.

“Targeted robocall scams hit millions of Americans every month, trying to steal Social Security numbers, bank information – anything they can use to take advantage of folks,” said Congressman McDowell. “Many of these calls originate overseas. America needs to stay ahead of these scams, crack down on these robocallers, and protect people from bad actors no matter where they originate.”

“Seniors face constant and malicious robocalls on a daily basis," said Rep. Steube. "These sophisticated attacks pose a major risk to the personal safety and financial security of the American people. Congress cannot ignore this threat any longer. That is why I am joining with Senator Budd and Representative McDowell to introduce the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act to protect vulnerable Americans from these manipulative ploys and scams."

“No one likes robocalls. They are irritating, predatory, and steal billions of dollars from Americans every single year. They also erode public trust. You shouldn’t miss a call from the doctor just because you’re scared it could be a scammer. The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act is commonsense legislation to protect people – particularly older Americans who are disproportionately targeted – from harmful scammers. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan effort,” said Rep. Kelly Morrison.

"My constituents in California’s 19th Congressional District are sick and tired of robocalls, scammers, and salesmen calling them on their personal phones," said Rep. Panetta. "The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act would empower the federal government and the private sector to work together to find solutions that will eliminate illegal foreign robocalls and protect our vulnerable seniors. With cooperation between the brightest minds and experts in telecommunications, we can crack down on the criminal networks that seek to prey on and take advantage of Americans."

The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act has received key endorsements from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and USTelecom.

“Older Americans are disproportionately targeted by robocall scams, which often lead to financial loss, identity theft, and emotional distress. These calls not only exploit individuals but also erode trust in telecommunications systems and public institutions. The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act builds upon the TRACED Act and addresses this growing threat by convening a task force of government and private sector experts to develop actionable strategies for eliminating harmful foreign robocalls.” - Jennifer Jones, Vice President, Financial Security & Livable Communities, Government Affairs, AARP

“We applaud the bipartisan work of Rep. McDowell, Rep. Morrison, Rep. Steube, and Rep. Panetta to advance the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act. Their attention to and leadership on this issue demonstrate a deep commitment to protecting Americans from abuse of our communications networks.

“The fight against scams and illegal robocalls requires sustained collaboration across government, law enforcement, and industry. The communications industry, including our Industry Traceback Group, is in this fight, and we remain committed to continuing these joint efforts to protect our networks, hold bad actors accountable, and safeguard consumers nationwide.” - Josh Bercu, Senior Vice President of Policy at USTelecom and Executive Director of the Industry Traceback Group

Background: Millions of Americans are targeted by scam calls each month by bad actors seeking to gain access to individuals’ Social Security Numbers, banking information, or other sensitive information. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has previously estimated that eliminating illegal scam robocalls would provide a public benefit of billions of dollars annually. Legislation like the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act, which was signed into law in 2019, empowered the FCC and telecommunications companies to implement call authentication technologies that could more easily identify and trace back illegal, spoofed calls. This bill builds on the TRACED Act’s success by continuing to harden our telecommunications infrastructure against foreign scammers. In the Senate, this effort is led by Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Peter Welch (D-VT).

What the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act does:

• Creates an interagency task force comprised of federal agency representatives and seven private sector representatives. The federal agency participants shall be determined jointly by the FCC, FTC, and the Attorney General.
• Of the private sector representatives:
  • Three must have experience in combating unlawful robocalls
  • One must be from the U.S. Traceback Consortium
  • One must be from a telemarketing business
  • One must be from a nonprofit that primarily uses telephone communication
  • One must be from a customer advocate organization that specializes in combating unlawful robocalls
• Requires the task force to report to the administration and to Congress on suggested ways to improve the federal response to unlawful robocalls made by foreign scammers
• Requires the task force to evaluate ways for the DOJ to improve law enforcement’s response to and prevention of unlawful robocalls
• Strengthens the TRACED Act by extending the Industry Traceback Group’s (ITG) renewal period from 1 to 3 years and provides further protections for the ITG to go after illegal robocallers.
• Allows for a rulemaking so the FCC can consider the introduction of a bond to increase the costs to fraudulent providers who violate the Robocall Mitigation Database.

Read the full bill text here.