Chairman Larson Announces Support of Eshoo-Led Legislation to Block and Prevent Robocalls

Statement

Today, Chairman of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee John Larson (CT-01) announced he cosponsored the Regulatory Oversight Barring Obnoxious (ROBO) Calls and Texts Act of 2019, led by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (CA-18). This bill would create a new Robocall Division at the Enforcement Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC and its new Robocall Division would focus on preventing and blocking robocalls, addressing consumer complaints, and informing the public about robocall scams.

"As Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee, I'm particularly alarmed about reports of robocalls from fraudsters who claim to be from the Social Security Administration and seek to get their targets to hand over money or their Social Security numbers," said Larson. "It's outrageous that fraudsters are frightening and scamming seniors and others into giving away their Social Security numbers and in many cases, their hard-earned Social Security benefits or wages.

"I commend Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) for their leadership in introducing the ROBO Calls and Texts Act, and I am pleased to sign on today as a cosponsor of this much-needed legislation."

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