Combating Pandemic Scams Act of 2020

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6435, the Combating Pandemic Scams Act of 2020. I thank Representative Buddy Carter from Georgia, along with Representatives Kuster, Blunt Rochester, and Hudson, for their work and their leadership on, again, another bipartisan piece of legislation.

As we all know, we are in the midst of this horrible pandemic. COVID- 19 has forced millions of Americans to isolate and rely on the internet to work, learn, receive healthcare, stay connected to loved ones, and so much more. Unfortunately, bad actors come out of the gutters wherever they live to seek to exploit times of crisis and target our most vulnerable.

During this pandemic, we have seen scammers attempt to exploit consumer fear and confusion by falsely promising additional stimulus checks, illegitimate lifesaving medications, and fake avenues to save businesses or pay employees--all scams.

H.R. 6435 aims to protect Americans, especially senior citizens and people with disabilities, from malicious and deceptive scams. The bill directs the Federal Trade Commission to prioritize informing the most vulnerable among us about mail, telemarketing, and internet scams, all related to COVID-19.

Importantly, the bill would provide Americans with the tools they need to educate and protect themselves against these very scams. This legislation will be even more important as we work together to ensure that the COVID vaccine is delivered in a safe and timely fashion.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to see H.R. 6435 under consideration today. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their work on this legislation. I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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