House Passes CORCA Cargo Theft Prevention Bill

Bill sponsors said the measure would strengthen federal coordination to fight increasingly sophisticated theft operations targeting freight and retail supply chains. (Andrii Lysenko/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives recently approved legislation aimed at eradicating cargo theft as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is scheduled to defend President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request before lawmakers.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act passed the House on May 12, clearing the way for its Senate consideration. Sponsors said the measure would strengthen federal coordination to fight increasingly sophisticated theft operations targeting freight and retail supply chains.

“Organized retail crime is an issue that affects everyone,” said Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), a member of the transportation funding subcommittee. “Whether you are a business owner, truck driver or the average consumer, these criminal enterprises are hurting your wallet and putting communities in danger.”

RELATED: Cargo Thefts Decline, but Global Players Deploy New Tactics

The bill would establish a division assigned to supply chain crime prevention within the Department of Homeland Security and provide law enforcement agencies with additional tools to disrupt criminal networks.

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Spear 

Freight stakeholders applauded the House action. American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said the legislation would help address highly organized cargo theft rings that often operate across borders.

The legislation “will give our industry and law enforcement the tools we need to fight back against highly organized, technologically advanced cargo theft rings, which are often orchestrated by transnational criminal groups,” Spear said.

David French of the National Retail Federation urged swift Senate action, saying the bill “enhances federal coordination and delivers much-needed resources to disrupt these criminal networks.”

Members of ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board recently pressed congressional leaders to move quickly on the bipartisan measure, arguing that stronger coordination and intelligence sharing are critical as theft operations increasingly target trucking and logistics firms.

Industry data underscores the scope of the problem. The American Transportation Research Institute estimates cargo theft costs the trucking industry more than $18 million per day.

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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will defend the DOT's budget request before a congressional subcommittee May 18. (Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press)

DOT Budget Request

The House action comes as Duffy is scheduled to appear May 18 before the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee to defend the White House’s fiscal 2027 budget request.

On May 12 at the annual Transportation Construction Coalition conference near the Capitol, Duffy urged lawmakers to prioritize permitting reform, long-term funding certainty and work zone safety as they debate transportation policy this year.

“We have to move projects faster, which means we get more money turning dirt and less money into the permitting process,” Duffy said, referring to proposed updates associated with the National Environmental Policy Act. “And then everyone is going to be a lot happier because they get more projects that are delivered faster for their constituents.”

Duffy also highlighted the potential role of public-private partnerships in accelerating project delivery as well as supplementing taxpayer funding.

“Really what we do is we deliver for the American people,” he said. “And they need us to deliver for them. … But we have to be innovative in the way we’re thinking about how can we get resources into these projects.”

Under the Trump administration’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would receive $946 million.

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FMCSA would receive $946 million under the budget proposal. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg)

The White House request includes $398 million for motor carrier safety operations and programs and $548 million for motor carrier safety grants. The Department of Transportation said the funding would allow FMCSA to continue targeting high-risk carriers and unsafe behaviors, reduce service barriers, and deploy modern tools meant to improve safety outcomes and regulatory effectiveness.

Overall, the fiscal 2027 request seeks $114.1 billion in budgetary resources for DOT, including $26.8 billion in discretionary funding and $87.3 billion in mandatory funding.

The budget blueprint outlines funding levels for DOT agencies, including $66.2 billion for the Federal Highway Administration to support the administration’s goal of accelerating project delivery and further empowering state and local agencies. Additional funding includes $16.3 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, $2.8 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration and $1.3 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“The pillars of the budget are priorities we share — bolstering our nation’s defense, stopping violent crime and bad actors, securing the homeland, building opportunity for the future and delivering effective investments that benefit the nation,” House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said last month.

“Line by line, we are directed by asking one question: Does this put America first?” Cole continued. “Republican appropriators will continue to uphold our Article I [constitutional] responsibility — directing taxpayer dollars where they are needed most and ensuring they are spent wisely.”