Support S.5544 — Ban Federal Facial Recognition Before It's Too Late

I'm writing to urge you to support the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act (S.5544), which was reintroduced this September. This bill is straightforward: ban federal agencies from using facial recognition, voice recognition, gait analysis, and other biometric surveillance unless Congress explicitly authorizes specific uses with accuracy standards and oversight. It also cuts federal public safety grants to state and local police departments that continue using this technology. Why does this matter? Because right now, the government can scan your face at protests, outside reproductive health clinics, or leaving religious services—no warrant, no notice, no consent. ICE and CBP are already deploying mobile face-scanning apps in the field. And when these systems get it wrong (which they do, especially for women and people of color), innocent people end up arrested. This isn't hypothetical. Multiple wrongful arrests have been documented based solely on faulty facial recognition matches. Meanwhile, the chilling effect on First Amendment rights is real—who shows up to a protest knowing they'll be instantly logged into a government database? The ACLU, EFF, Brennan Center, and over 40 civil rights organizations endorse this bill. They're right: a moratorium is necessary while we figure out whether this technology can ever be deployed responsibly. I know you care about civil liberties and accountable governance. This is exactly the kind of oversight we need before surveillance becomes permanent infrastructure. Please co-sponsor S.5544 and push it through committee. Thank you for your time and service.