U.S. House Appropriations Approves $4M for Cargo Theft Task Forces

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved a $4 million allocation in the fiscal‑year 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies funding bill to combat cargo theft. The money will fund the creation of regional task forces led by the FBI with participation from the Department of Homeland Security, TSA, the Department of Transportation and federal, state and local law‑enforcement agencies. An additional $2 million will support the assignment of extra attorneys to U.S. Attorney offices with high rates of cargo‑theft prosecutions.

The American Trucking Associations praised the measure, noting that cargo theft now costs the trucking industry more than $18 million per day and that strategic theft incidents have risen sharply since 2021. The association said the funding will strengthen coordination between government and industry to disrupt organized crime networks that target freight, which also poses national‑security concerns.

Implementation reports are mandated: the Department of Justice must brief Congress on task‑force plans within 120 days, and the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys must identify priority offices within 90 days. The initiative builds on the earlier Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) that also targets freight‑related crime.