[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 9, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6451-S6452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Cellphone Jamming Reform Act

  Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, when a criminal is convicted of a crime 
and locked away in prison, you would think that would put a stop to 
their illicit activity, but sadly, in too many tragic cases, criminals 
just continue their wicked ways behind bars. That is because tens of 
thousands of contraband cell phones are smuggled into and throughout 
prisons, enabling convicted criminals to carry on with their criminal 
business as usual from behind bars.
  Contraband cell phones in prisons pose a severe threat to public 
safety. After all, these convicted criminals aren't using cell phones 
to order takeout, to check the weather, or to watch NFL highlights--no. 
They use contraband cell phones to order hits on criminal rivals, to 
traffic drugs, and to run extortion schemes.
  Convicted criminals who are sitting in a prison cell shouldn't be 
able to endanger correctional officers, members of law enforcement, and 
innocent Americans outside of prisons by using contraband cell phones. 
If we opt to stand idly by, we might as well hand these criminals the 
keys to their prison cells.
  That is why I have introduced again the Cellphone Jamming Reform 
Act--to allow State and Federal correctional facilities to use targeted 
cell phone jamming equipment in prison housing facilities. The key word 
here is ``targeted.'' The technology is so precise that it does not 
interrupt with the regular communications of law enforcement or 
emergency first responders in the vicinity.
  However, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and at the end of 
the day, I simply care about delivering results for every Arkansan. 
That is why I am proud to support President Trump in his efforts to 
bring back law and order to neighborhoods and communities across our 
country. I applaud the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on 
crime and specifically Federal Communications Commission Chairman 
Brendan Carr's announcement that the FCC will vote on a proposal 
allowing prisons to jam contraband cell phones for the first time. As I 
am sure many of my Republican colleagues and friends would agree, this 
action is both a welcome step forward and a long-overdue development.
  For years, I have repeatedly urged Democrats to take action, but they 
didn't--instead, prioritizing and coddling criminals as usual. Consider 
that in the final hours of the Biden Presidency, Joe Biden commuted the 
sentences of nearly 1,500 convicted criminals, robbing hundreds of 
thousands of victims of the closure and justice they deserved. To be 
clear, these were not sympathetic figures; these were criminals, such 
as a drug dealer responsible for killing a relapsing addict; a 
fraudster who stole millions of dollars intended for hungry Arkansas 
kids and low-income families; and the so-called ``kids-for-cash'' 
judge, who accepted kickbacks in exchange for his role in sending 
thousands of children to private detention centers.
  Sadly, that is not all. Last year, just 2 days before Christmas, Joe 
Biden announced he was commuting the death sentences of 37 depraved 
rapists and murderers. While we still don't know how many of these 
pardons were signed by Joe Biden and how many were signed by his 
radical aides using his autopen, this is a reminder that, 
unfortunately, the Democratic Party is the party of soft-on-crime.
  As further evidence of this, consider the so-called George Floyd 
Justice in Policing Act, which would have handcuffed law enforcement 
instead of dangerous criminals. Further, consider that every single 
Soros prosecutor is a Democrat. Finally, consider that the 
jurisdictions with the worst crimes at the local level are all 
controlled by Democrats.
  Now, you may have heard some Democrats argue that cities with the 
highest homicide rates are in Republican States, but look a little 
closer. In almost every case, those cities--like Jackson, MS; 
Birmingham, AL; and St. Louis, MO, are run by Democrats.
  Look at Democrat-led Charlotte, NC. Just last month, an innocent, 23-
year-old Ukrainian refugee was heinously murdered by a crazed career 
criminal while riding a light-rail train. Thanks, in part, to the soft-
on-crime policies of the liberal former Governor, Roy Cooper, this 
deranged murderer had been arrested 14 times, had been convicted of 
crimes, including robbery with a dangerous weapon, and had assaulted 
his own sister. Yet he was still allowed to walk free and take the life 
of Iryna Zarutska.
  I want to extend my condolences to her family and loved ones and 
assure them that we will pursue justice in her tragic case. President 
Trump and Republicans are working on behalf of innocent individuals 
like Iryna, who have a right to be safe and secure in their homes, 
neighborhoods, and communities.
  Compare Charlotte to Washington, DC, where more than 1,900 arrests 
have been made and more than 200 illegal guns have been seized since 
President Trump deployed the National Guard and Federal law enforcement 
last month. While the Democratic DC Mayor admitted that President 
Trump's strategy is working, other Democratic leaders in places like 
Chicago and Baltimore are resisting assistance and putting up a big 
stink.
  But let me remind everyone that Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson and 
Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott aren't the

[[Page S6452]]

ones riding public transportation alone after a long day at work like 
Iryna Zarutska. They aren't the ones clutching a bottle of pepper spray 
in their pocket as they wait for a bus to arrive at a stop on an empty 
street. They don't have to worry that their briefcase or purse will be 
ripped away from them as they walk to their car in a parking garage.
  I would bet that many of the 81 percent of Americans who see crime as 
a major problem in large cities worry about some of these very real 
threats in their day-to-day lives. So I would invite the Democrats to 
wise up and join us on the right side of this issue: fighting crime and 
standing up for innocent Americans. I am pleased to stand with 
President Trump and my Republican colleagues to crack down on crime and 
ensure that every law-abiding American can live in safety, security, 
and freedom.