H.R. 4988

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4988 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4988

To authorize the President of the United States to issue letters of 
marque and reprisal with respect to acts of aggression against the 
United States a member of a criminal enterprise or any conspirator 
associated with an enterprise involved in cybercrimes, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

August 15, 2025

Mr. Schweikert introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To authorize the President of the United States to issue letters of 
marque and reprisal with respect to acts of aggression against the 
United States a member of a criminal enterprise or any conspirator 
associated with an enterprise involved in cybercrimes, and for other 
purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Scam Farms Marque and Reprisal 
Authorization Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:
(1) Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants the 
Congress the power to grant letters of marque and reprisal to 
punish, deter, and prevent the acts of aggression and 
depredations and other acts of war committed by scam centers.
(2) Criminal enterprises that employ cybercrimes and 
coerced labor present an unusual and extraordinary threat to 
the economic and national security of the United States.

SEC. 3. ISSUANCE OF LETTERS OF MARQUE AND REPRISAL.

(a) Authority of President.--The President of the United States is 
authorized and requested to commission, under officially issued letters 
of marque and reprisal, so many of privately armed and equipped persons 
and entities as, in the judgment of the President, the service may 
require, with suitable instructions to the leaders thereof, to employ 
all means reasonably necessary to seize outside the geographic 
boundaries of the United States and its territories the person and 
property of any individual or foreign government, as applicable, who 
the President determines is a member of a criminal enterprise or any 
conspirator associated with an enterprise involved in cybercrime who is 
responsible for an act of aggression against the United States.
(b) Security Bonds.--No letter of marque and reprisal shall be 
issued by the President without requiring the posting of a security 
bond in such amount as the President shall determine is sufficient to 
ensure that the letter be executed according to the terms and 
conditions thereof.
(c) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section--
(1) the term ``cybercrime'' includes--
(A) an offense under section 1030 of title 18, 
United States Code;
(B) accessing a computer without authorization to 
obtain national security information, including sharing 
or retaining such information;
(C) accessing a computer without authorization to 
obtain personally identifiable information;
(D) accessing a Government computer without 
authorization;
(E) accessing a computer without authorization to 
engage in fraud;
(F) causing damage to a computer by transmitting a 
program, information, code, or command;
(G) trafficking in passwords or other means of 
accessing a computer without authorization;
(H) a pig butchering scam;
(I) a ransomware attack;
(J) cryptocurrency theft; or
(K) identity theft; and
(2) the term ``criminal enterprise'' includes a foreign 
government.
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