This Senate resolution expresses support for designating June 11, 2026, as "Anti-Illicit Trade Awareness Day." It lists many forms of illicit trade, including trafficking in drugs (including fentanyl), counterfeit goods, fake medicines, firearms, illicit cigarettes, illegal gold, endangered wildlife parts, cultural artifacts, human trafficking, and various customs and trade frauds such as smuggling, misclassification, undervaluation, and transshipment. The resolution describes illicit trade as a large global illegal economy that harms public health and safety, finances criminal enterprises, fuels corruption and money laundering, contributes to forced labor and trafficking, and threatens national security and supply chain integrity. It also supports elevating illicit trade and related illicit finance to national security priorities, promoting financial intelligence sharing and integrated intelligence centers, expanding trade transparency units, and advancing whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to combat illicit trade. The resolution was submitted by Senators Bill Cassidy and Sheldon Whitehouse and was considered and agreed to by the Senate.
This resolution is a formal statement of support and awareness. It designates a specific day for raising public awareness about illicit trade and urges coordinated action across agencies and with private partners. It encourages reporting of illicit trade and highlights the harms such trade can cause. The resolution itself does not create new criminal penalties or change existing laws.
The resolution does not appropriate funds or authorize specific spending. No publicly available information in the text indicates new funding amounts, budgetary actions, or costs tied to this resolution.
Sponsors and the text say illicit trade is widespread, costly, and dangerous. They argue it undermines legitimate markets, public trust, and national security; helps fund criminal and malign actors; and contributes to human trafficking, environmental crimes, and unsafe products. Proponents support public education, public-private partnerships, intelligence sharing, trade transparency units, and whole-of-government approaches to investigate and disrupt illicit trade.
No publicly available information on opposition is included in the resolution text or provided metadata.