{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://himes.house.gov/2026/09/17/himes-bill-to-combat-financial-scams-advances-with-bipartisan-support/", "Himes Bill to Combat Financial Scams Advances with Bipartisan Support", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "James A. Himes", "H001047", "himes.house.gov", "himes", "https://himes.house.gov/statements-and-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 This week, the House Financial Services Committee voted 49-0 to advance Rep. Jim Himes\u2019 Task Force for Recognizing and Averting Payment Scams (TRAPS) Act. The bill, which would create an interagency federal task force of experts from across government and the private sector dedicated to combatting financial scams, now awaits consideration before the full House of Representatives.\n\n\u201cScammers have always been a contemptible part of our financial reality, but AI-powered voice cloning and deepfakes have turbo-charged the tools they have at their disposal to swindle Americans \u2013 especially seniors \u2013 out of their hard-earned money,\u201d said Rep. Himes. \u201cI\u2019m ecstatic that the TRAPS Act passed out of committee with overwhelming bipartisan support as now, more than ever, we need to bring to bear a whole-of-government approach that combats financial schemes, protects our citizens, and supports victims of fraud. There\u2019s no time to waste: let\u2019s put this bill to a full vote.\u201d\n\nThe task force created by the TRAPS Act, co-led by Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03), would examine emerging fraud trends, including increasingly sophisticated romance and investment scams, identify effective prevention strategies, improve coordination across the public and private sectors, and recommend legislative and regulatory solutions to better protect consumers. The bill\u2019s passage out of committee comes at a critical moment: the Federal Trade Commission reports that consumers lost approximately $16 billion to fraud in 2025, a 25% increase from 2024.\n\nBeyond receiving unanimous support in committee, the TRAPS Act also earned praise from the private sector.\n\n\u201cRepresentatives Jim Himes and Zach Nunn deserve credit for recognizing a simple truth: criminals share information, exploit gaps and constantly evolve and those working to stop them must be equally coordinated,\u201d said Early Warning CEO Cameron Fowler. \u201cThe TRAPS Act will help turn the collective expertise of regulators, law enforcement and industry into action. We have seen the impact of coordination: over the past four years, Early Warning has helped financial institutions stop approximately $16.4 billion in potential fraud. Extending that collaboration across the broader ecosystem will help identify emerging threats sooner and better protect American consumers and small businesses.\u201d", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://himes.house.gov/2026/09/17/himes-bill-to-combat-financial-scams-advances-with-bipartisan-support/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.706261817365885, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}