Railroads applaud bipartisan legislation to combat supply chain and retail theft 

Today, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Rep. David Joyce introduced the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) to create a coordinated federal response to the mounting wave of sophisticated attacks against the nation’s supply chain and retailers. The new legislation underscores that while theft tactics vary across industries, only an economy-wide response can effectively curtail this growing threat.  

 “Organized criminal operations continue to evolve and escalate their targeted attacks against our nation’s supply chain and retailers,” said Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ian Jefferies. “This alarming trend affects every industry — including the nation’s largest railroads, which experienced a 40% spike in cargo theft last year. Disrupting these organized crime networks requires a unified, federally led response. Chairman Grassley and Rep. Joyce’s bipartisan legislation provides the strategic framework necessary to disrupt these criminal networks and safeguard our supply chain.” 

Specifically, CORCA would address the rising threat to the nation’s supply chain by enhancing federal law enforcement tools and establishing a centralized coordination center. The legislation would create an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Coordination Center to bring together federal law enforcement agencies with state and local partners as well as railroad police to counter and dismantle domestic and transnational organized theft operations.  

For railroads, both the frequency and tactics of cargo theft attempts have rapidly evolved and escalated from what once was a crime of opportunity to one that cost the industry more than $100 billion last year. Additionally, this unlawful activity creates operational hazards for the safe and efficient movement of goods on railroads. Today, rail cargo thefts are calculated, coordinated and executed by sophisticated perpetrators often with links to domestic and transnational organized crime groups who are also targeting other sectors. The rail industry estimates suggest that over 65,000 thefts occurred against the Class I railroads in 2024 representing a roughly 40% increase over the prior year.  

All these factors contribute to rising operational costs and inflationary pressures for businesses and consumers. Railroads have advocated for a multi-layered federal strategy to address this issue economy-wide, and CORCA represents a critical step forward.