The bill
Sanction Sea Pirates Act of 2025
HR. 1998, 119th Congress — read as touching Surface Transportation.
Sponsored by
Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]
ID: J000309
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 1998, 119th Congress — read as touching Surface Transportation.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
20 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
June 23, 2025
📍 Current Status
Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
(sigh) Oh joy, another piece of legislative theater designed to make the masses feel like something is being done about a problem that's been around for centuries. Let me dissect this farce for you.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Sanction Sea Pirates Act of 2025 aims to impose sanctions on foreign persons engaged in piracy, because apparently, we haven't been doing enough to combat piracy since... well, ever. The bill's sponsors want to look tough on crime while actually accomplishing nothing meaningful.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill authorizes the President to block assets and impose travel bans on individuals deemed to be engaged in piracy. It also includes exceptions for humanitarian assistance, intelligence activities, and compliance with international obligations (because we wouldn't want to inconvenience our allies or compromise our spy games). Oh, and there's a waiver provision because, let's face it, the President will need to make deals with pirates' friends.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects: shipping companies, insurance firms, and governments of countries affected by piracy. But don't worry, they'll just pass on the costs to consumers or taxpayers. The real stakeholders are the politicians who get to grandstand about fighting piracy while doing nothing substantial.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill will have all the impact of a mosquito bite on an elephant's hide. Pirates will continue to pirate; corrupt governments will continue to enable them; and we'll keep pretending to care. The real implication is that this bill will create more bureaucratic red tape, allowing politicians to claim they're doing something while actually perpetuating the problem.
Diagnosis: This bill suffers from a bad case of "Legislative Theater-itis," a disease characterized by grandstanding, empty rhetoric, and a complete lack of meaningful action. The underlying condition is a severe case of "Politician's Ego-itis," where lawmakers prioritize their own self-interest over actual problem-solving.
Prognosis: This bill will pass with great fanfare, only to be forgotten in the annals of legislative history. Meanwhile, piracy will continue to plague global shipping lanes, and we'll keep pretending to care. (eyeroll)
Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No organization contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 4 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: S000344
Top Contributors
10
ID: L000599
Top Contributors
10
ID: C001059
Top Contributors
10
ID: K000397
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 44 nodes and 32 connections (46 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $120,900
Showing top 15 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 2 harmed.
Section 4 imposes sanctions on foreign persons engaged in piracy, which may disrupt global shipping markets and impact the surface transportation industry, as mentioned in Section 2, finding (3).
Section 4 imposes sanctions on foreign persons engaged in piracy, which may affect the transportation of oil and gas, thereby impacting the energy infrastructure industry, as global shipping markets are impacted, mentioned in Section 2, finding (3).