A new bipartisan bill aims to push back against the offshoring of call center jobs and unchecked automation in customer service — moves that could significantly impact how companies in financial services, collections, and healthcare interact with consumers.
Sen. Ruben Gallego [D-Ariz.] and Sen. Jim Justice [R-W.V.] introduced the Keep Call Centers in America Act of 2025 this week, proposing restrictions on federal support for companies that move call center operations offshore or rely heavily on AI without transparency.
🧩 Why it matters: Call centers represent a key consumer touchpoint in financial services, collections, and healthcare — and a potential risk vector for compliance violations and reputational harm when handled poorly. As companies look to lower costs by outsourcing or automating, this bill would penalize such shifts unless they prioritize domestic workers and transparent communication.
📜 What it does:
1. Limits federal benefits for offshoring: Companies that move call center operations abroad would:
- Be required to give the Department of Labor (DOL) at least 120 days’ notice.
- Be added to a public DOL list, where they must remain for 5 years unless they repatriate jobs or amend contracts to require U.S.-based operations.
- Become ineligible for new federal grants or guaranteed loans. Existing awards would face clawbacks and monthly penalties of 8.3% unless reversed.
2. Requires transparency in customer interactions: Companies must:
- Disclose to consumers the physical location of customer service agents.
- Inform consumers when AI is being used.
- Transfer consumers to a U.S.-based human agent if requested.
These requirements apply to companies with 50+ full-time customer service employees or equivalent staffing hours.
3. Prioritizes domestic jobs in government contracts: Agencies would be required to give preference to companies not on the offshoring list and mandate U.S.-based call center work for federal contracts.
📉 Backdrop: The bill responds to a projected loss of 150,000 U.S. call center jobs by 2033, driven by offshoring and increased use of automated systems. A 2024 survey found 70% of Americans are frustrated by interactions with automated systems, underscoring the consumer appetite for human connection — especially in sensitive financial conversations.
🗣️ What they’re saying: “If you’re calling customer service, chances are your day isn’t going great,” said Sen. Gallego. You should be able to talk to a real human being right here in the U.S.”
Read the bill. Read a summary of the bill
