Message from Congressman Scott Fitzgerald

Good afternoon, everyone, and happy Monday!

Congress is back in session this week – and I’m ready to get to work after a busy start to the month packed full of legislative activity.

Last week, I worked on a number of legislative initiatives—including passing 28 bills aimed at countering Communist China, and introducing legislation that combats financial scammers and protects American businesses from Russian lawfare.

I also enjoyed meeting with credit union leaders from Wisconsin—they play in instrumental role in supporting local communities throughout our state!

Have a great week everyone and keep reading on to take a deeper dive into the legislative updates I mentioned above.  

Have a great week!

-Scott

Co-introduced a Bill to Protect Wisconsinites from Scammers

Financial scams continue to become more sophisticated, robbing Americans out of their hard-earned dollars. Even more concerning, older adults are bearing the brunt of these scams, suffering significantly higher financial losses. In 2021, the median loss for individuals over 70 was $9,000, compared to $2,400 across all age groups.

Law enforcement and national security agencies have a crucial advantage against these criminals: blockchain technology's permanence and transparency. Officers can utilize blockchain technology to stop these criminals in their tracks. In November, the U.S. Department of Justice, using blockchain, froze approximately $225 million linked to an international human trafficking syndicate in Southeast Asia responsible for “pig butchering” scams. Additionally, 3,500 cybercriminals associated with online scamming were arrested by authorities during a South Korea-led Interpol operation in late 2023. The authorities also sized $300 million in stolen funds.

Unfortunately, state and local officers are overwhelmed with these crimes that often do not reach the threshold to warrant federal intervention. While federal agencies are trained in blockchain tracing skills, many states have limited staff with the ability to help these victims.  This leads to many crimes going unsolved.

That’s why I am proud to co-lead the Empowering Law Enforcement to Combat Financial Fraud Act. This bill will give state and local law enforcement the resources they need by allowing federal law enforcement to assist with tracing tools for blockchain technology. This bill is a critical step in tracking criminals who attempt to defraud Wisconsin seniors and families.

Passed a Series of Bills to Combat Threats from Communist China  

Last week was China week on Capitol Hill. House Republicans passed a total of 28 bills specifically aimed at countering the threat of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through a number of economic, energy, and national security measures.

Two bills in particular that I want to call out are H.R. 7980, the End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024, and H.R. 9456, the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024.

H.R. 7980 prevents the Chinese Communist Party from receiving any taxpayer dollars from subsidies for electric vehicles created by the Biden-Harris Inflation Expansion Act, helping restore security in American manufacturing while combating the existential threat of CCP influence.

H.R. 9456 ensures foreign purchases of American farmland are thoroughly scrutinized by formally adding the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for reviews of foreign investments involving the control of an agribusiness and purchase of U.S. farmland.

This slate of legislation is an important step in keeping one of our nation’s biggest adversaries at bay.

Met With Wisconsin Credit Union Leaders

I had a great time meeting with credit union leaders from our great state! There are over 100 credit unions in Wisconsin that are actively improving the financial well-being of our local households and communities. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss important legislative efforts in Congress that will improve the overall state of credit unions and expand access to lending options for borrowers from our state.

Co-introduced a Bill to Protect American Businesses from Russian Lawfare

In response to Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. government imposed sanctions and export controls on Russia. To comply with these measures, U.S. companies wound down operations and ceased work in Russia. As a result, U.S. companies have been targeted by Russian litigants seeking damages and being awarded large and inflated claims by Russian courts against U.S. companies. These subjective decisions are then used as the basis for Russian litigants to seek significant damages under U.S. law – essentially functioning as a countersanction for Russia.

American companies shouldn’t be punished for simply complying with U.S. sanctions and export controls. That’s why, last week, I co-introduced the Protecting American Businesses from Russian Litigation Act of 2024 to shield American businesses from frivolous Russian lawfare. The bill closes an existing loophole in federal law and amends Chapter 111 of Title 28 of the United States Code to ensure that U.S. persons are protected from lawsuits that result from good faith compliance with U.S. sanctions and export controls.

That's a wrap for this week's eNewsletter! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on my work for the 5th District of Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

Scott Fitzgerald
Member of Congress