Sponsors (7)
The bill strengthens criminal penalties to better protect and enable prosecution of attacks on federal officers, trading off greater deterrence and prosecutorial clarity against risks of overcriminalization, impacts on protesters/bystanders, and higher incarceration costs.
Federal law enforcement officers (DHS/DOJ) receive stronger legal protection: attackers who use a vehicle or assault officers in federal vehicles can face penalties up to 20 years in prison.
Federal officers and the public may experience fewer violent attacks because the enhanced penalties create a deterrent and improve officer safety during official duties.
DOJ and DHS gain a clearer statutory basis to prosecute severe assaults involving vehicles, which could improve prosecution outcomes and accountability.
Members of the public risk overcriminalization: ambiguous or nonviolent conduct near federal officers could be charged as severe felonies under the broader penalties.
Protesters and bystanders may be disproportionately affected in crowd-control situations if enforcement is broad, raising civil liberties and free-assembly concerns.
Longer potential prison terms for convictions increase incarceration costs and fiscal burdens on taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates enhanced federal penalties (fines and/or up to 20 years imprisonment) for using a vehicle to attack or for assaulting/interfering with DHS or DOJ federal officers while on duty or in a federal vehicle.
Official title: To amend section 111 of title 18, United States Code, to establish an offense relating to obstructing certain law enforcement vehicle.
Introduced March 19, 2026 by W. Greg Steube · Last progress March 19, 2026
Creates new federal crimes and increases penalties for individuals who use a vehicle to assault, resist, intimidate, impede, or otherwise interfere with certain federal law enforcement officers (Department of Homeland Security or Department of Justice) while those officers are performing official duties or while they are in a federal law enforcement vehicle. Violations carry fines and/or imprisonment for up to 20 years.