RELEASE: Bipartisan “Porch Pirates” Bill Introduced During Holiday Season to Combat Package Theft

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, December 23, 2025, the bipartisan Porch Pirates Act was introduced to combat “porch pirate” package theft. The bill is led by U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), along with Reps. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), Scott Peters (CA-50), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), John Rutherford (FL-5), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Young Kim (CA-40), Chris Pappas (NH-1), and Claudia Tenney (NY-24).

So far this year, 104 million total packages have been stolen, and nearly half of all Americans have been victims of porch pirates. Porch pirates cost Americans an estimated $16 billion in the past year, and more than 190,000 people in New Jersey had a package stolen in just three months last year. 

Find the Porch Pirates Act bill text here.

“There’s a literal Grinch that tears through neighborhoods, stealing away Christmas presents and essentials from grandparents and children alike — right off their own front porch. The bipartisan bill I’m introducing today will protect families under the same laws we already have for other types of mail, while streamlining the definition of porch piracy so there are no delays to families getting help. It shouldn’t matter who delivers your package. If you paid for it, you should receive it and get help when you don’t,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We can’t let the holidays be snatched away from us in broad daylight by a bunch of porch pirates. We will fight to ensure gifts stay right where they belong: with the families who work hard to buy them, with the loved ones they thought of when they paid for them, and within the homes celebrating their faith, love, and family together this holiday season. That is what our Jersey Values are about: protecting the people we cherish most.”

“Granite Staters are receiving deliveries for gifts for their friends and loved ones as we enter the height of the holiday gift-giving season, and package theft remains a significant concern,” said Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-1). “So far 104 million packages have been stolen this year, costing families and businesses billions of dollars. To combat the rise in porch piracy and deter theft, this bipartisan legislation will put in place the same federal penalties for package theft, whether a package was delivered by a private carrier or by the U.S. Postal Service. I’m urging Congress to take up and pass this common-sense legislation now.”

“Porch pirates will steal nearly $2 billion worth of packages delivered to Texas households this year,” said Rep. Beth Van Duyne (TX-24). “The Porch Pirates Act closes a loophole in federal law and ensures criminals who steal packages delivered by private or commercial carriers are held accountable.”

“As we enter the holiday season, San Diegans are looking forward to giving gifts to their families and friends. However, package theft remains a significant concern. People are tired of having their packages stolen. That’s why I introduced the Porch Pirates Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill that will apply the same federal criminal penalties to packages delivered by a private carrier that currently apply to USPS-delivered packages,” said Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50).

“Porch piracy is a proliferating crime that hurts everyone, including working-class families, seniors, and small businesses, right at their front door,” said Rep. John Rutherford (FL-05). “I am proud to join my Law Enforcement Caucus co-chair, Rep. Gottheimer (NJ-05), to lead this vital deterrence bill to give law enforcement officers the tools they need to hold offenders accountable and protect Americans who are simply trying to receive the goods they paid for.”

“Stealing delivered packages from homes has become all too easy for thieves of all types,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-19). “The Porch Pirates Act would help prevent crooks from committing these crimes by ratcheting up consequences for stealing packages dropped off at homes. The more that we rely on mail-order delivery, the more we must rely on this type of legislation to deter thieves, ensure accountability, and provide safety and security for our communities.”

The bipartisan Porch Pirates Act:

• Make stealing a package delivered by a private carrier (such as UPS, Amazon, FedEx, and others) a federal crime, a protection that currently only applies to mail and packages delivered by the U.S. Postal Service;
• Apply federal penalties, including fines and imprisonment up to three, five, or ten years, depending on the value, method, and circumstances of the theft; 
• Give the FBI, DOJ, and federal task forces full authority to investigate any porch piracy theft of a private carrier package, a major improvement in investigative authority; 
• Create a uniform national baseline by clarifying that existing criminal statutes include delivered packages, creating a uniform national baseline to combat porch piracy, and set standard penalties without preempting individual state laws; and 
• Extend interstate commerce protection to the final delivery point — including all the way to a front porch — rather than only protecting packages in transit in interstate commerce.

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