Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a bill to strengthen the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ability to investigate and prosecute trade-related crimes.
Bad actors frequently violate U.S. trade laws by committing fraud and evading duties and customs checks at ports. These actions undermine the legal economy and have a detrimental effect on U.S. companies and workers. The Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act combats these crimes by providing additional resources and directing DOJ to establish a new structure for prosecuting international trade crimes.
“International kleptocrats, smugglers, and shady front companies exploit American trade laws designed to protect workers, companies, and consumers,” said Whitehouse. “Our bipartisan legislation will bolster the Department of Justice’s capacity to pursue criminal cases and hold violators accountable for their efforts to undermine American businesses.”
“The Chinese Communist Party and other bad actors exploit U.S. trade laws at the expense of American companies and workers,” said Graham. “I’m glad to work with my colleagues on legislation to increase DOJ’s ability to investigate and prosecute these crimes.”
Specifically, this bill:
- Establishes a new task force or similar structure within the DOJ’s Criminal Division to investigate and prosecute trade-related crimes.
- Enhances nationwide responses to trade-related offenses by providing training and technical assistance to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, expanding investigations and prosecutions, and allowing for parallel criminal and civil enforcement actions.
- Requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to Congress assessing the DOJ’s efforts, statistics on trade-related crimes, and fund utilization.
- Authorizes $20,000,000 for FY 2025 to support these efforts with appropriate guardrails.
“Senator Whitehouse has for years strongly supported Rhode Island’s textile community,” said Michael McKeldon Woody, CEO of Trans-Tex LLC in Cranston, RI, and chair of the Rhode Island Textile Innovation Network (RITIN), an alliance of the state’s textile manufacturing companies. “He was instrumental in RITIN’s foundation, has secured federal funding that will make it more cost efficient for our manufacturing companies to train younger people and, with this legislation, will help close trade loopholes that have cost us jobs.”
The Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02).
