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CIVIC HERALD
HR 1998 · 119th Congress · HouseIn committee

Sanction Sea Pirates Act of 2025

In plain language: Foreign individuals and groups caught engaging in maritime piracy would face direct financial and travel bans imposed by the U.S. government. Their bank accounts, real estate, and other assets located in the United States or managed by American citizens would be frozen, and anyone violating these financial restrictions would face criminal or civil penalties. Accused pirates would also be blocked from entering the country and have any existing U.S. visas revoked immediately, though exceptions are provided for humanitarian aid such as food and medicine.

Provisional: our plain-language summary, pending review.

Provisionalunreviewed: impact, issue tags, provisions, stakeholders, summary
People affected—not determinable from the text provided; applies selectively to foreign individuals and entities determined by executive agencies to knowingly engage in maritime piracy
Fiscal magnitude—not determinable from the text provided; no appropriations, revenue measures, or fee authorizations are specified
Reach28provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
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Issues

What this bill touches.

Aid & alliances+20Levels of legal immigration−20Banking/financial rules+25Enforcement & security−15

The sign shows the bill's direction on each issue (+ toward, − away); the number is its magnitude. Color never encodes good or bad, and never party.

Who it affects

Who it helps · who it burdens.

Who it helps

  • Humanitarian aid organizations and medical/agricultural exportersUnder Sec. 4(c)(2), organizations and individuals conducting or facilitating transactions for humanitarian assistance, food, agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices are shielded by explicit statutory exemptions from the sanctions.provisional
  • Federal intelligence, law enforcement, and national security agenciesUnder Sec. 4(c)(3), authorized federal intelligence, law enforcement, and national security activities are protected by an express statutory exemption from the sanctions.provisional

Who it burdens

  • Foreign persons engaging in piracyUnder Sec. 4(b)(1) and Sec. 4(b)(2), foreign individuals and entities determined by the President to knowingly engage in piracy have their U.S.-based property and financial transactions blocked and frozen, are barred from entering the United States, are disqualified from receiving visas or immigration benefits, and have any existing visas immediately revoked.provisional
  • Individuals and entities violating sanctions regulationsUnder Sec. 4(e)(2), any individual or business that violates, attempts to violate, or conspires to violate regulations implementing these sanctions is subject to civil and criminal penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.provisional

Dollar-level funding (FEC sector totals) is coming in a later phase.

What it does

The provisions, in plain language.

  1. Requires the President to block and freeze all U.S.-based property and financial transactions of foreign individuals or entities determined to knowingly engage in piracy.

    Sec. 4(b)(1)provisional

  2. Bans foreign individuals involved in piracy from entering the United States, makes them ineligible for U.S. visas or immigration benefits, and revokes any existing visas immediately.

    Sec. 4(b)(2)provisional

  3. Exempts sales and transportation of food, agricultural commodities, medicine, medical devices, and humanitarian relief from the sanctions.

    Sec. 4(c)(2)provisional

  4. Applies federal civil and criminal penalties to anyone who violates, attempts to violate, or conspires to violate these sanctions.

    Sec. 4(e)(2)provisional

  5. Allows the President to waive sanctions against a person if the President notifies congressional committees at least 15 days in advance that the waiver is vital to U.S. national security.

    Sec. 4(f)provisional

How your members of Congress line up

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Timeline

How it moved.

  1. Jun 24, 2025Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  2. Jun 23, 2025Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  3. Jun 23, 2025On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 392 - 14 (Roll no. 172). (text: CR H2845-2846)
  4. Jun 23, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 392 - 14 (Roll no. 172). (text: CR H2845-2846)
  5. Apr 9, 2025Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Voice Vote.
  6. Mar 10, 2025Introduced in House
  7. Mar 10, 2025Introduced in House

The original text

Read it for yourself.

Read the original text →

Sources & provenance

Congress.govrefreshed 9 days ago

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