Political Quotes

“Today I am proud to speak in support of H.R. 502, the Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act, or the FIND Trafficking Act. First, I would like to commend Representative Vargas for sponsoring this bipartisan legislation, and I would also like to thank my colleague from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), for her important work on this bill. As the father of three daughters, including one at James Madison University, who is currently working on a project utilizing technology to combat human trafficking, it is deeply concerning to me that sex traffickers and drug smugglers have seamless access to the financial system through the use of virtual currencies. Virtual currencies were created to meet legitimate market demand, but have increasingly become the preferred method of payment for illicit goods and services facilitated by the dark web. Virtual currencies appeal to criminals because of their versatility and ability to provide anonymity during transactions. According to the International Labour Organization, in 2016, 4.8 million people in this world were victims of forced sexual exploitation. In 2014, the global profit from commercial sexual exploitation was $99 billion. Additionally, a 2015 Treasury Department report estimated that $64 billion is generated annually just from the United States in drug trafficking sales.…”