Bill

H.R. 2978 (119th): Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act of 2026 or the GUARD Act of 2026

Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act of 2026 or the GUARD Act of 2026 This bill allows state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and grantees that receive funds from certain law enforcement grant programs to use the funds to investigate general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, and pig butchering. Pig butchering refers to a confidence and investment fraud in which a victim is gradually lured into transferring increasing amounts of money, generally in the form of cryptocurrency, into a fake virtual investment. The bill allows federal law enforcement agencies to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and fusion centers in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology tools. Finally, the bill requires the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to report on efforts to combat general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams, including an evaluation of any legislative recommendations to improve the efforts. The bill also requires FinCEN to report on the state of general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams in the United States, including trends in the crimes.

house · Substantive

Rankings updated October 26, 2026, 11:44 AM ET · Votes through September 30, 2026
Exported candidates: 719 | Filings on file, by office: H: 5838 | P: 1467 | S: 1567. These counts include every filing for that office, so they are larger than the ranked list. One person can have more than one filing. Non-voting delegates are left out.

Recorded summary

The bill lets state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and grantees that receive certain law enforcement grant funds use those funds to investigate general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, and pig butchering (a cryptocurrency-based investment scam). It lets federal agencies help state, local, and tribal agencies and fusion centers use blockchain tracing tools. It requires FinCEN to report on efforts to combat these frauds and scams, including an evaluation of legislative recommendations, and on the current state and trends of these crimes in the United States.

cryptocurrencyelder_fraud_protectionfinancial_fraudfinancial_surveillance_limitslaw_enforcement_grantsprocedural

Theological note: The measure bears on the duty to protect the vulnerable from fraud and theft, since elderly victims of deception lose savings they cannot easily recover. Scripture's concern for justice toward the weak and against deceit (for example, Proverbs 11:1 and Leviticus 19:11) is engaged here. The relevant question is whether enforcement capacity is used justly, which would require attention to lawful process and to limits on any financial monitoring the tracing tools might involve.

How this bill is scored

Recorded votes

Roll 301 · 15-Sep-2026 9:57 PM · On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended · Passed

Yea 414 · Nay 7 · Other 12

Yea

Nay

Other

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