Grassley Opens Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting on Bipartisan Child Safety Package

Prepared Opening Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Executive Business Meeting
Thursday, February 26, 2026

Today we have 14 items on the agenda - nine nominees and five bills.

The first is the nomination of Gregory Gilmore to be United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois.

We'll vote on Mr. Gilmore's nomination today and hold the remaining nominees over for future consideration.

We'll also hold over Senators Cruz and Gallego's bill, the Safe Access to Cash Act, for future consideration.

The main thrust of today's meeting will be to continue our committee's longstanding, important and bipartisan work to protect American children.

The Stop Sextortion Act is led by myself and Ranking Member Durbin, and is cosponsored by Senators Klobuchar, Cornyn, Blackburn, Graham, Shaheen, Moody, Britt and Kennedy.

It criminalizes the extortion and coercion of children using child sex abuse material, known commonly as "sextortion."

There is currently no law that explicitly prohibits sextortion, and this Committee is going to fix that gap today.

All three of these bills have a strong list of endorsing organizations, including the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, Thorn, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, the National District Attorneys Association, the FBI Agents Association, the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, Internet Works, Snap Inc. and more.

My plan for today, instead of voting on each of these bills individually, will be to vote on a combined package of these three bills as an amendment to the House-passed Combating Online Predators Act.

Before we get to the votes, I want to tell everyone how we got to today.

More than four months ago, Ranking Member Durbin and I came together with the intent of drafting critical legislation to protect children.

This is something that both of us care deeply about.

Our staff worked closely together, and we were both fortunate to have experienced prosecutors on our teams who've handled exactly these cases for decades.

Their first-hand, on-the-ground experience was critical to drafting these bills.

After months of negotiations and hard work to develop this legislation, we introduced these bills in early December.

The next day, this committee heard Tamia Woods' testimony.

I want to extend a warm welcome to the Woods family, who're sitting in the audience today.

What I've learned in my time here is that there is no greater love or advocate than mothers and fathers who've lost their children too soon.

Mr. and Mrs. Woods, your bravery in the face of unimaginable tragedy is inspiring, to say the least.

In that December hearing, we heard how Mrs. Woods' son, James, was groomed and then terrorized by messages spanning just 20 hours. These 20 hours cost James his life.

It's a tragedy he is not here.

A sick man - whose entire mission was to terrorize children like James - used the internet to convince another human being that their life should end.

The Woods, and all parents just like them across the country, deserve justice.

That's why we're here today, and that's why we're going to honor James' legacy by naming our combined package of bills after him.

Today's markup is about taking needed action to protect our children.

Too many families personally know the toll that the dark side of the internet continues to take on America's children.

In 2025, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received thousands of reports of online sextortion.

The alarming and increasing reports have the FBI's attention-and they note "an alarming number of deaths by suicide."

Evil groups like 764 - named for the first three digits of its Texas zip code of origin by the FBI - encourage children to mutilate, harm and even kill themselves.

Many of the perpetrators in these groups are themselves minors.

We've identified numerous cases where 15, 16 and 17-year-olds have coerced and tortured other children, sometimes leading to their deaths.

It's an unspeakable, and unthinkable tragedy.

This legislation is needed and it's timely.

Right now, there's no law on the books squarely addressing the gross coercion perpetrators wage against vulnerable children online. The bills we're considering today criminalize these horrible acts and protect our children.

And with respect to the Stop Sextortion Act, the bill addresses the exact type of conduct that Mrs. Woods and her family experienced.

I'm grateful to Ranking Member Durbin for his work to advance this impactful legislation.

I'm also grateful to our other cosponsors, and to all the groups and advocates who've worked with us to provide their expertise to inform these bills.

I know it means a lot to the families who've suffered unthinkable pain. I know many of them are watching this markup today.

Ms. Woods, we're thankful you shared your family's story with us, and for all the work you do to honor James' legacy.

In preparation for this markup, we've worked hard to listen and make these bills the best we could to make a difference in the lives of American children and families.

We kept an open mind and listened, not only during the initial drafting phase, but also after introduction.

The manager's amendment we're advancing today reflects an extensive negotiation process with members of this Committee and many stakeholders.

As with every piece of legislation, compromise was necessary.

But I'm confident that we've landed in a good place and my hope is that everyone sees these changes for what they are - a critical effort to enact lifesaving legislation to protect children from some of the most unthinkable darkness that can be perpetuated by a fellow human.

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