Democrat Raphael Warnock of Georgia also cosponsored the bill in February.
Budd and Welch originally introduced the bill in August, with the aim of increasing cooperation between the Department of Justice and the private sector to address and prosecute illicit robocalls.
The Federal Trade Commission, which collects data on robocall complaints across the country, logged more than 100,000 complaints from Ohioans in 2025 about unwanted calls.
“Robocalls from scammers aren’t just annoying, they victimize tens of millions of Americans, stealing billions of dollars from unsuspecting individuals,” said Budd in a statement. “With many robocalls originating overseas, combining the efforts of government agencies in charge of protecting Americans from scams with private sector expertise will help us stay ahead of cutting-edge technologies used by foreign criminal enterprises.”
A 2024 study by robocall screening app Truecaller found that over 56.2 million adults in America were affected by spam and scam calls in the previous year, with a collective loss of $25.4 billion.
The bill is a bipartisan effort “to improve coordination, strengthen enforcement and deliver real consequences for foreign scammers,” Husted said.
“I consistently hear from Ohioans who are targeted by foreign scammers and robocallers every single day, and I’m backing this bill to take action on their behalf. Criminals prey on the most vulnerable, stealing savings and exploiting new technology to evade law enforcement. We cannot allow foreign criminal enterprises to continue victimizing Ohioans and families across the country,” he said.
This task force would evaluate foreign robocalls and determine the most effective strategies to combat them, with the goal of enhancing international cooperation to reduce illegal robocalls.
“Folks in red and blue states alike are sick and tired of picking up the phone and wondering if they’re talking to a friend or being scammed,” said Welch. “Foreign robocallers are stepping up their efforts to exploit and prey on vulnerable people. Our bipartisan bill will help combat unlawful foreign robocalls and protect Americans from scams.”
To protect yourself from robocallers, you can go to donotcall.gov, where you can put your name on the FTC’s no-call list. Ohioans can also report scam calls to the FTC, or to the Ohio Attorney General’s office at ohioprotects.org/robo.
The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Oct. 21, 2025.
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