Graham Hoffman Act

Senate Bill

S. 2278

119th Congress

Graham Hoffman Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jul 15, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Eric Schmitt

Senator

Republican

MO

Cosponsors

3

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Immigration

Summary

The Graham Hoffman Act establishes new positions within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review images of vehicles and cargo entering or leaving the United States. These image adjudicators will assess whether the vehicles or cargo contain illegal items like drugs, weapons, or people trying to enter the country unlawfully. The bill also creates supervisory positions to oversee the adjudicators and share intelligence with the National Targeting Center.

Latest Action

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 652.

SponsorEric Schmitt (R-MO)

Introduced7/15/2025

StatusRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberSenate

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Vote Prediction

Graham Hoffman Act

The Graham Hoffman Act establishes new positions within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review images of vehicles and cargo entering or leaving the United States. These image adjudicators will assess whether the vehicles or cargo contain illegal it

Community Breakdown

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The Graham Hoffman Act establishes new positions within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review images of vehicles and cargo entering or leaving the United States. These image adjudicators will assess whether the vehicles or cargo contain illegal items like drugs, weapons, or people trying to enter the country unlawfully. The bill also creates supervisory positions to oversee the adjudicators and share intelligence with the National Targeting Center.

Bill Number: 2278
Sponsor: Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
Introduced: 7/15/2025
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Policy Area: Immigration

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Graham Hoffman Act
Bill Number: 2278
Sponsor: Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 7/15/2025
Summary: The Graham Hoffman Act establishes new positions within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review images of vehicles and cargo entering or leaving the United States. These image adjudicators will assess whether the vehicles or cargo contain illegal items like drugs, weapons, or people tryin

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

The Graham Hoffman Act establishes new positions within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review images of vehicles and cargo entering or leaving the United States. These image adjudicators will assess whether the vehicles or cargo contain illegal items like drugs, weapons, or people trying to enter the country unlawfully. The bill also creates supervisory positions to oversee the adjudicators and share intelligence with the National Targeting Center.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act of 2023 This bill establishes positions within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review inspection images of vehicles and cargo entering or exiting the United States. Specifically, the bill establishes the position of image adjudicator within the CBP Office of Field Operations. An image adjudicator must (1) review nonintrusive inspection images of vehicles and cargo entering or exiting the United States; (2) assess whether such vehicles and cargo contain contraband, illicit drugs, weapons, or persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States; and (3) refer suspicious vehicles and cargo for further inspection by a CBP officer. The bill also establishes the position of supervisory image adjudicator with additional responsibilities, including receiving and reporting intelligence to the National Targeting Center about techniques used by malign actors to transport contraband, illicit drugs, weapons, and persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States. The bill establishes annual training requirements for both image adjudicator and supervisory image adjudicator positions, including training on privacy and civil liberties and how to analyze inspection images. Within a year of this bill's enactment, CBP must develop a workforce staffing model for these positions. The Government Accountability Office must validate the model within six months of the model's completion.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Creates new positions called 'image adjudicators' within CBP to review scans of vehicles and cargo entering/exiting the U.S.
Image adjudicators will identify potential contraband, drugs, weapons, or people trying to illegally enter the country
Also establishes 'supervisory image adjudicator' roles to oversee the adjudicators and share intelligence
Requires annual training for adjudicators on privacy, civil liberties, and image analysis
Directs CBP to develop a staffing model for these new positions that must be validated by the Government Accountability Office

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

If enacted, this bill would impact CBP operations at U.S. borders and ports of entry. It would increase staffing and focus on reviewing scans of vehicles and cargo to detect illegal items and persons trying to enter the country unlawfully. This could lead to more referrals for secondary inspections and potential seizures or apprehensions, impacting individuals and businesses involved in cross-border trade and travel.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Immigration

Related Subjects

Border security and unlawful immigration

Employment and training programs

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Law enforcement officers

Motor carriers

Motor vehicles

Smuggling and trafficking

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

2278, 119th Congress (2025). "Graham Hoffman Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-2278

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