Letter Urging Stronger Anti-Trafficking Safeguards in Digital Asset Legislation

Dear Leaders Thune and Schumer:

As Catholic organizations, leaders, and advocates committed to defending human dignity and working to end human trafficking, we write to express serious concern regarding provisions within H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, that could weaken safeguards against illicit finance and create vulnerabilities that traffickers and transnational criminal organizations may exploit.

The Catholic Church has long taught that economic systems and markets must ultimately serve the human person, especially the poor, vulnerable, and those at greatest risk of exploitation. While we recognize the significant promise of emerging financial technologies and support responsible innovation that expands opportunity and strengthens American leadership, innovation cannot come at the expense of human dignity or public accountability.

Human trafficking remains one of the great moral crises of our time. Traffickers increasingly rely on sophisticated digital tools and decentralized financial systems to obscure transactions, evade detection, and exploit vulnerable populations. Survivors, anti-trafficking advocates, and service providers have seen firsthand how quickly criminal enterprises adapt to technological change when oversight fails to keep pace.

We are particularly concerned that certain provisions under Section 604 could create broad carveouts and regulatory ambiguities that may make it more difficult to responsibly monitor illicit financial activity tied to trafficking, organized crime, child exploitation, sanctions evasion, and other forms of abuse. At a moment when Congress continues bipartisan efforts to strengthen anti-trafficking protections — including through legislation such as the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act — policymakers should avoid creating unintended loopholes that could undermine those efforts.

Responsible guardrails are not anti-innovation. In fact, transparency, accountability, and strong antimoney laundering protections are essential to building public trust in emerging financial systems and ensuring these technologies contribute to the common good.

Catholic social teaching calls us to uphold solidarity, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that economic systems are ordered toward justice rather than exploitation. The test of any financial system is not simply whether it generates wealth or innovation, but whether it safeguards human life and dignity.

We respectfully urge the Committee to reexamine the lack of illicit finance, anti-money laundering, and accountability provisions within this legislation before allowing it to advance any further. We believe it is entirely possible for Congress to support American innovation and technological leadership while also ensuring robust protections against exploitation and criminal abuse.

Thank you for your continued leadership and attention to these concerns. We stand ready to work alongside lawmakers to advance policies that promote both responsible innovation and the protection of vulnerable communities.

Sincerely,

Tracy Abler, Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
Kathleen Antol, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Caroline Boden, Mercy Investment Services
Katie Boller Gosewisch, Alliance to End Human Trafficking
Sean Bradley, Sisters of Charity
Kathy Braun, School Sisters of St Francis, US Province
Mary Chapman, Sisters of Charity BVM
Evelyn Chumbow, Evelyn Chumbow
Mary Coleman, Sisters of Charity BVM Associates
Peggy Comfrey, CSJ, Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston
Kathleen Conway, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Brenda Cousins, Sisters of the Holy Cross Area of North America
Suzanne Coulthard,
Jacquelyn Cramer, Sisters of Charity BVM
Alice Caulfield, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Ann Deleeuw
Carol De Angelo, Sisters of Charity of New York
Ann DeNicolo, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Jerry Delaney, BVM Associate
Janet Desmond, Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lois Dolphin, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Amy Dolan, BVM Sisters
Fran Eskin-Royer, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Sandra Favrow, Human Trafficking Group in Algonac MI
Laura Field, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Jenny Footle, Lived Experience Expert
Beth Ford McNamee, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia
Barbara Gaul, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Sister Eileen Gannn, Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
Bette Gambonini, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Sister Patricia Gardner, Sisters of St. Francis, Sylvania, OH
Marie Greaney, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Teresa Hadro, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Kathleen Harrison, BVM
Brigid Hart, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Catherine Hendel, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Maureen Jerkowski, Bethany House of Hospitality
Chris Kellerman, SJ, Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology
Sr. Mary Jane Kenney, Mary’s Guest House
Josette Kelly, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Nancy Kilanowski, Our Lady on the River Parish against Human Trafficking Ministry
Ann Lacour, Marianites of Holy Cross
Brigid Lawlor, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Region
Kathryn Lawlor, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Louise Levandowski, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sister Maryagnes Leonard
Joanne Lucid, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Irene Lukefahr, Tri-State Coalition to End Human Trafficking
LaDonna Manternach, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary Martens, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Joellen McCarthy, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Nancy McCarville, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Mary McCauley, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Mary Colleen McGinnity, Sisters of Charity BVM
Eileen McKenzie, Kino Border Initiative
Lisette Michaud, Sisters of St. Chretienne
Maryann Mueller, Felician Sisters of North America
Sr. Nancy Murphy, DC, Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Louise
Patricia Nooney, Sisters of Charity BVM
Maria Orlandini, Franciscan Action Network
Deb Pauly, Alliance to End Human Trafficking
Dee Peppard, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Dorothy Peters, Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc., Diocese of St. Augustine, FL
Mike Poulin, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
Roza Pati, The John J. Brunetti Human Trafficking Academy
Diane Rapozo, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Linda Roby, Srs. of Charity, BVM
Sandy Rodemyer, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Sister Jane Rudolph, Dominican Sisters
Rose Rumball, Our Lady on the River Against Human Trafficking Ministry
Sister Kathleen Schipani, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Malvern PA
Paul Schultz, Green Dubuque
Annette Seestedt, Alliance Against Human Trafficking
Carol Spiegel, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, BVM
Carol Spiegel, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, BVM
Vict Smurlo, Sisters of Charity BVM
Carol Anne Smith, HM, Sisters of the Humility of Mary
Sister Jeanne Snyder, Myself
Jan Supple, BVMs
Maria van Werkhooven, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Kris Wade, Justice Project
Mary Waddell, Sisters of Charity, BVM
Karen Watson, CFA, Congregation of St. Joseph

CC:
All Senators