Cortez Masto, Blackburn Renew Bipartisan Push to Combat Human Trafficking

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced a pair of bipartisan bills to combat human trafficking along America's interstates, airways, railroads, and waterways. These bills build upon the success of Cortez Masto's 2024 law to crack down on human trafficking through airports.

"Throughout my time serving the people of Nevada, from Nevada Attorney General to United States Senator, I have devoted myself to combating human trafficking," said Senator Cortez Masto. "We know that human traffickers often move their victims across state lines, so these bipartisan bills would provide law enforcement and transportation workers with better tools to help identify predators and stop the exploitation of vulnerable women and children."

"Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing illicit industries, and we must do everything we can to prevent the exploitation of innocent people and hold perpetrators accountable," said Senator Blackburn. "Our bipartisan TRAFFIC Act and STOP Human Trafficking Act would strengthen coordination across the federal government to prevent and combat human trafficking in the transportation sector."

The Supporting Transportation Operations that Prevent (STOP) Human Trafficking Act takes an all-of-the-above approach to detecting and preventing human trafficking in America's transportation industry. In addition to Cortez Masto and Blackburn, the STOP Human Trafficking Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). It would:

• Support research and information sharing on effective measures to combat human trafficking for transportation organizations to adopt in their practices;
• Require USDOT to update and expand its counter-trafficking public awareness campaigns for all modes of transportation;
• Direct the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop a plan to create counter-trafficking partnerships across all modes of transportation;
• Create a public awareness campaign to distribute information about combatting human trafficking during major events, including at the upcoming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics; and
• Provide funding to help operators across all modes to train transportation and security staff to identify signs of trafficking, engage in public awareness campaigns, and provide support to survivors through USDOT.

A one-pager on the STOP Human Trafficking Act can be found here and a section-by-section can be found here.

The Trafficker Restrictions for Aviation, Federal Freight, and Interstate Carriers (TRAFFIC) Act of 2025 would ban people previously convicted of human trafficking offenses from obtaining operating licenses across all modes of transportation, permanently preventing them from becoming train conductors, airline pilots, and merchant mariners. People convicted of human trafficking offenses are already prevented from obtaining commercial driver's licenses.

Senator Cortez Masto has fought to prevent human trafficking and deliver justice for the survivors of sexual violence since her time as Nevada's attorney general. Recently, she urged the chairman of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee to immediately hold a hearing on Jeffrey Epstein's use of the U.S. financial system to perpetrate his heinous crimes. Prior to the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup and before the 2024 Super Bowl LVII, Cortez Masto urged FIFA and the NFL, respectively, to take steps to prevent human trafficking at the events. She has previously introduced the bipartisan Jimmy Deal Trafficking Survivors Assistance Act to help human trafficking survivors access air travel so they can escape traffickers and get the care they need. Cortez Masto recently called on Congress to further fund the Crime Victims Fund, which provides services and resources for survivors of sexual assault.

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