Bipartisan House lawmakers launch new caucus to combat human trafficking
The new effort builds on Rep. Chris Smith’s decades of anti-trafficking work, including his authorship of the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.
House representatives launched a bipartisan congressional caucus July 30 aimed at strengthening the nation’s response to human trafficking and expanding protections for survivors.
Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., will co-chair the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Protection and Prevention Caucus, announced on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
According to a July 30 release from Smith’s office, the caucus will bring lawmakers together to advance legislation focused on preventing trafficking, protecting survivors, prosecuting offenders, and strengthening cooperation with survivors across government and civil society.
Smith said the initiative would help Congress confront the changing tactics of traffickers, who he said increasingly target and exploit victims both in person and online.
“Human trafficking is an ever-evolving crime, as traffickers are constantly finding new ways — both in-person and virtually — to exploit, manipulate, and abuse victims,” Smith said. “To meet these changing and challenging demands, this Caucus will work tirelessly to advance new anti-trafficking legislation.”
Developed with input from survivors involved in anti-trafficking advocacy, the bill would authorize more than $1.2 billion over five years to expand and reauthorize anti-trafficking programs. It would also establish the first federal housing program for trafficking survivors, pairing housing with education, mental health services, life-skills training, and employment assistance.
Smith and Mfume also plan to work with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., to establish a corresponding caucus in the Senate. The release said the broader effort will involve survivors, law enforcement, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, and private-sector leaders.
The caucus’ formation comes as Smith and Mfume press the House to take up the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Act of 2025, a bill they introduced earlier this Congress. They said its passage would bring the country closer to eradicating human trafficking, which they described as “modern-day slavery.”
Pointing to trafficking’s reach worldwide, Mfume called for comprehensive action from Congress.
“We owe it to every survivor and victim to pass comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation out of the Congress and send it to the President’s desk,” Mfume said. “This Caucus and anti-trafficking organizations across the country represent proof of our collective intention to get that done, no matter how long it takes.”
