Two U.S. lawmakers have waged continued efforts to push the FBI to address child sexual abuse and exploitation.
U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) recently launched a bipartisan inquiry that is said to have urged FBI Director Christopher Wray and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to address what they’ve described as understaffing and resource shortages within the FBI’s specialized teams tasked with investigating such crimes.
The inquiry follows an August 2023 report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that criticized the FBI for mishandling tips related to child sexual abuse cases. The OIG found certain issues, according to lawmakers, including the failure of FBI employees to comply with mandatory reporting requirements.
In nearly half of the case files reviewed, lawmakers said there was no evidence of compliance with required reporting to state and local law enforcement. And in about 50%, there also was no evidence of compliance with social service agencies.
In their letter to Garland and Wray, Sens. Ossoff and Blackburn alleged a lack of adequate staffing within the agency has led to heavy caseloads and insufficient resources for FBI agents handling these investigations.
The senators asked the agency to respond to requests regarding current resources dedicated to child protection investigations as well as measures taken by the FBI to address alleged concerns raised in the OIG report.
The renewed focus on child protection follows several past legislative efforts led by Ossoff. In May 2023, for instance, Ossoff and Blackburn’s REPORT Act became law, requiring websites and social media platforms to report crimes related to child trafficking and enticement to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Ossoff and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) also worked to pass the Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act of 2023, which sought to strengthen federal protections against child sexual abuse and online exploitation.
