Chuck Grassley: “we Senators disagree on a lot of issues in this body. However, there is one topic that we should all agree on, and that…”

“we Senators disagree on a lot of issues in this body. However, there is one topic that we should all agree on, and that is the effectiveness of the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that they have awarded the contract to run the hotline to a new contractor-- very good news. The Trump administration moved on from the current contractor, Polaris. On March 5 this year, I sent a letter to HHS. The letter makes public alarming whistleblower disclosures. These disclosures allege that Polaris failed to report tips of human trafficking, including child sex trafficking, to law enforcement. On July 29 of this year, HHS sent me a letter confirming that Polaris had failed to report some tips to law enforcement. For example, an audit of 294 cases was carried out. According to HHS, of the 294 cases, 4 trafficking cases weren't correctly reported because of clerical error, and in 24 trafficking cases, staff managing the hotline didn't follow reporting protocol. That is nearly a 10-percent failure rate in a sample of 294 cases. Now, project that failure rate to the hotline receiving nearly 1.5 million tips. So, as you can see, the Trump administration has thus far shown an aggressive commitment to fighting human trafficking. This Senator will continue his oversight of the hotline and its new contractor to ensure that women and children who fall victim to these horrific acts have a way out. I yield the floor.…”