A new YouGov poll commissioned by Vera Action found that congressional efforts to attach a bill purportedly tackling retail theft to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is underwater with voters. Most voters from both parties disapprove of passing the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) through the NDAA, as congressional leaders debate whether it should be included. Voters are clear that Congress should debate and vote on significant legislation like CORCA separately rather than quietly include it in a massive spending package.

At a moment when DHS is back in the headlines for abusing its power, CORCA  would hand over sweeping new surveillance and data-sharing powers to the Department of Homeland Security. While organized retail theft and cargo theft are important issues for policymakers to address, voters do not think handing more surveillance power to DHS is the answer.

According to a new nationwide poll fielded between July 9–13 of 1,011 registered voters, most respondents said they did not support including CORCA in the NDAA. Opposition to inserting CORCA into the NDAA is broad, cutting across partisan and demographic lines. Just over eight-in-10 respondents say Congress should vote on each bill separately. This includes 92 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of Republicans, along with 87 percent of moderate voters and even 68 percent of conservatives. Even seven-in-10 Trump voters oppose the effort. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.4 percent.

There is a proposal in Congress to use the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—a major bill that funds and sets policies for the U.S. military—to pass a separate bill that creates a centralized intelligence-sharing system for corporations, local police, and federal agencies, like the Department of Homeland Security, to share consumer and private data about organized retail theft. Would you support passing the bill on organized retail theft within the NDAA or do you believe Congress should vote on each bill separately?

Vote on each bill separately

Pass at the same time

Only 19 percent of respondents believe it is acceptable to share the information of people who have not been charged with a crime, a key plank of CORCA. Moreover, just 34 percent of Republican voters support such information-sharing, with a majority of GOP voters saying it is not acceptable. Just 4 percent of Democrats support it.

Regardless of the approach to passage, CORCA’s tactics are unpopular with voters: an earlier May poll found that a large majority of voters preferred having local law enforcement handle issues related to organized retail theft, with only 17 percent supporting CORCA’s proposed expansion of DHS authority. 

With a powerful conglomeration of retail, transport, and law enforcement lobbies pushing Congress to attach CORCA to the NDAA, many Senate Democrats appear to be getting behind a policy and stealthy legislative maneuver that most voters reject, including near uniform opposition from Democratic voters. While many do believe theft is a real problem, most do not believe handing DHS vast new powers is an acceptable answer.

Vera Action President and Director Insha Rahman said:  

“Voters are making it clear; they do not support sneaking CORCA into the must-pass defense bill. Democrats this year have led a courageous and principled fight against ICE and DHS’s abuses of power; not a single Democrat in Congress voted for the DHS funding bill in June — that’s the kind of unity they should bring to CORCA. Particularly at this moment, where the Trump administration continues their deadly and dangerous mass deportations across the country. A broad coalition of over 130 civil rights, criminal justice reform, and immigration groups are urging Democrats to remove this dangerous ammendment from the NDAA, withdraw all support for CORCA, and instead focus on real solutions to keep Americans safe.” 

Find our previous polling on voter opposition to expanding federal powers to handle organized retail theft here.

For more information contact Ellen Flenniken, director, Vera Action: eflenniken@vera.org.