No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. McCAUL. 5961.
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Mr. McCAUL. Madam Chair, we are here today because the Biden administration cut a dangerous, reckless hostage deal that puts a price on every American head all over the world. We have a responsibility to the American people to repair this damage.
First, let me say that I am relieved that Americans held hostage by Iran are safely at home. They have been through a terrible ordeal and should never have been imprisoned in the first place.
As part of this deal, the administration dropped charges against five Iranian criminals charged with endangering our national security, including by aiding Iran's nuclear program.
At Iran's request, the administration waived sanctions on $6 billion of Iranian funds, which have been frozen in South Korea to allow that that money be transferred and funneled to a bank account in Doha, Qatar--an undisclosed bank, Madam Chair.
Under this deal, Iran is getting access to $1.2 billion per blue passport, per American citizen. It is obvious that this agreement incentivizes more hostage taking.
The administration is claiming this money can only be used for humanitarian purchases like food and medicine.
We all know that Iran has a long history of sanctioned evasion and money laundering. It means that we cannot truly know where the funds end up or how they will be used.
If we had any doubt about Iran's intentions, look no further than DOJ's 2019 indictment under the previous administration against a Turkish bank.
This bank played a central role in facilitating billions of dollars' worth of fraudulent Iranian transactions.
These transactions were manipulated to look like humanitarian expenses when, in fact, no such purchases took place.
This is nothing new, but let's look at Iran's own words. Iran's President Raisi bragged to the world that Iran would spend the $6 billion ``wherever we need it.''
What more evidence do we need, Madam Chair, than that? This is not going for humanitarian purposes. It is going toward terrorism--wherever we need it.
Money is fungible, as everybody knows. Given Iran's access to these funds for any purpose frees up money for its malign activities, including its support to proxies like we saw on October 7 to Hamas.
Blocking money to Iran is the most consequential thing we can do here in this Congress to stop Iran's financing of terrorism to Hamas and other proxies to help keep our troops safe who are now under fire from Iran-backed militias.
After Hamas' brutal October 7 massacre of over 1,200 innocent people in Israel, the largest attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust, Madam Chair, and over 70 attacks on our forces by Iran-backed proxies this fall, no one can deny Iran's role as the world's leading state sponsor of terror.
Put simply, the Middle East is on fire, and Iran's proxies are becoming more aggressive every day with increasing attacks, threatening to throw the Middle East into complete destabilization.
Now Iran's destabilization influence extends beyond the Middle East. They continue to supply deadly drones to Russia, supporting their unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine.
Iran is going to keep throwing tens of millions of dollars to Hamas and other terror groups propping them up with our adversaries, like China, Russia, and North Korea, with weapons. We need to take every measure possible to stop Iran from giving its proxies another dime.
Madam Chair, after the October 7 attack by Hamas in which they took 240 hostages, it is absolutely undeniable this hostage deal was a catastrophic mistake.
Madam Chair, we met with some of the families yesterday, and it was one of the most horrific experiences to hear what their loved ones are going through right now in Gaza. Americans held hostage, who we have still not been able to get out, they are in absolute hell right now, in darkness.
The narrative was something before October 7. Now, after October 7, they are trying to hide from this deal because they know what they did was wrong, and they know what they are doing is funding terror in the Middle East.
This body, this Congress needs to repair that damage. That is why my bill, the No Funds For Iranian Terrorism Act, imposes new sanctions to permanently prevent the transfer of $6 billion in Iranian funds covered under the 2023 hostage deal; which, by the way, Madam Chair, I haven't seen this deal. The administration says there is a deal. They have not provided that deal to me nor to my colleagues, to my knowledge.
One thing is clear, this is a moment of moral clarity. With such instability in the region, the last thing we need to do is to give Iran access to $6 billion to be diverted to more Iranian-sponsored terrorism. We must sanction anyone who enables the transfer or processing of transactions of these funds, period.
Put very simply and succinctly, I can't imagine how anybody can vote against this bill. How can anybody support $6 billion going into Iran when we know, both in classified space, which we can't talk about here, but in the declassified space, exactly who was behind October 7.
Iran is the head of the snake, and the snake had its tentacles all throughout the Middle East: in Gaza with Hamas; in Yemen with the Houthi rebels; and in Iran and Syria with Iran-backed militias, who, by the way, Madam Chair, are hitting our troops every day. They are under fire by Iran. We are going to give them $6 billion?
Now, the other side will say that is Iran's money. It is sanctioned money. This administration chose to lift the sanctions on the $6 billion.
My bill says, no, Mr. President. We, in the Congress, say no to this policy. We are going to put sanctions on the money so Iran cannot get access to this to fund more terrorism, more killing of innocent Jewish people. I don't have to go into graphic detail of what happened on October 7, but we all saw the Hamas video and the gruesomeness of it.
I, Madam Chair, will not sit by idly and allow this to happen while Americans are under fire and the Jewish people are being killed by these terrorists.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. McCAUL. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Self), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
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Mr. McCAUL. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Mike Garcia), a member of the Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Madam Chair, it should not take an act of Congress to stop our President, the President of the United States, from sending $6 billion to Iran. Iran is the world's most prolific sponsor of terrorism, but here we are, having to go through this.
This administration has said that this money is to be used for humanitarian purposes only. Madam Chair, that is like giving money to a junkie and expecting them to buy food with it. You can tell them to buy food with it, and they can promise you that they will buy food with it. We all know he ain't buying food with it.
In this case, Iran will not use this money for humanitarian assistance. Even if they did, it would just free up other cash so they could fund their international terror organizations and nuclear ambitions. Now that we have control of these assets, let's not let this money be weaponized against us, our allies, and especially Israel.
Madam Chair, I urge support of the bill.
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Mr. McCAUL. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).
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Mr. McCAUL. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim), the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific.
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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Chairman I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).
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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Chairman, I am ready to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, let me say to my dear friend from New York, I have great admiration and respect for him. He is right, we do work things out. Of all the committees, we are the most bipartisan committee, and it is important that we speak with one voice as a Nation to the world.
However, as we also have agreed, there are times we just can't get to an agreement. This is one of those times. I just can't in good faith support the administration's position on this.
The gentleman asked a couple questions about why didn't this pass on suspension, and that is always our goal. The fact is that five Members on his side of the aisle voted in support of this bill. I think what we are going to find on the vote on this floor today is you are going to have more than five Members vote for this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I admire him and his support for the President. I would probably do the same in his case, but I have to, with all due respect, disagree.
What would I say to the five American families?
I would say: Thank God your loved ones are home. I would say: We are with you. I don't think this is just about the five American hostages. There is something else going on that just doesn't make sense.
Mr. Chairman, you have five innocent Americans exchanged for five indicted Iranians on charges related to national security. That alone is a bad deal. We talk about negotiations--that is not a good negotiation.
Mr. Chairman, if you throw $6 billion on top of this--what is that all about?
I have to ask the question: Why was this money that was frozen in a South Korean bank transferred to an undisclosed Doha bank account to then be made available for humanitarian purposes to Iran?
What they will say is: Well, it is still frozen.
Why was the money transferred to an undisclosed Doha bank account? If it was for humanitarian purposes, why couldn't the South Korean bank transfer it?
I will tell you why it was transferred to the Doha bank account--and we don't even know the name of the bank, Mr. Chairman. It was transferred at the request of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Why did they want that?
They know that they can get access to the Doha bank account. They know that in Qatar they are going to be more friendly to them than the South Koreans. This didn't happen by accident, it happened by design. That is precisely why the money was money laundered to this other bank account to funnel into Iran.
For what purpose, humanitarian?
I get that. I don't doubt my good friend from New York's heart and sincerity. He believes this. Nevertheless, facts are stubborn things.
Under the previous administration, a bank was prosecuted for the same scheme that this administration is perpetuating. A Turkish bank--this is from the Department of Justice Public Affairs Office--was facilitating transactions to appear to be purchases of food and medicine by Iranian customers in order to appear to fall within the so- called humanitarian exception.
Mr. Chair, don't take my word for this. Take the President of Iran's word for this: I will do whatever I want with the money.
Let's be clear-eyed and sober about this. Let's not be naive about putting $6 billion into Iran at this critical time, Mr. Chairman, after October 7, the bloodiest day of killing Jews since the Holocaust. This is why their narrative is changing.
Now, it is like: But the President of Iran hasn't asked for the money yet. And by the way, it is frozen.
Then why did you transfer it to the Doha Bank account?
Mr. Chairman, I will tell you why. It is because Iran requested it. The idea that Iran is not going to ask for this money, I have to say, with all due respect, is incredulous. Of course, they want this money.
The question is: Why hasn't it been transferred already?
Do you know what, Mr. Chairman? The answer is October 7. That is why it hasn't been transferred. They got caught with their pants down. Now, they realize: Oh, my God, we can't transfer this money. Think of the optics here. This is going to look really bad.
There is another thing that is very nefarious going on here. There is some deal going on, Mr. Chairman, that we don't know about, and we have every right of oversight. They won't call things treaties because the Senate won't confirm them. They call them deals.
What is going on? It is not just about the hostages, and thank God they are home. Let me tell the families: God bless them.
Nevertheless, there is something else going on here. There is an undercurrent of another deal going on, and it is the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear agreement. That is why the money was transferred. In my judgment, it is to facilitate another deal with Iran.
The irony of all ironies, Mr. Chairman, is the Special Envoy for Iran is now under investigation by the FBI for violations of his security clearance. The very man negotiating the JCPOA, the Iran deal, is under investigation by the FBI for violating his national security clearance.
You can't make this up, Mr. Chairman. You really can't make this up.
He talked about the Presidential waiver. We said that the whole point of this bill is to ensure they cannot use the $6 billion unless they do two things: one, cease their support for international terrorism, and, two, stop their nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction programs.
This bill doesn't undercut our leverage; it turns this money into leverage to stop their most dangerous activities.
I think this is a bad deal. I think that the underlying intent is something more secretive.
Mr. Chairman, I have to ask the question: Has any Member of Congress seen this deal that we are talking about? Has the gentleman from New York seen this hostage deal with Iran?
I haven't seen it. I haven't seen it, classified or not. Where is the deal? Why won't the administration present the deal to the Congress pursuant to our oversight responsibilities?
That is transparency. That is why we introduced the bill because Congress has every right on behalf of the American people, before the $6 billion was transferred into Iran, to see what the deal is.
We met with these hostage families yesterday, and it is brutal. I was in the kibbutz at the Gaza border in southern Israel, Kfar Azza. They went into the daycare center and killed the children I saw there. They decapitated them, and they killed everybody I met in the kibbutz.
I can't look at these families of the victims or the families of the hostages in good faith. I cannot look them in the eye and say: Do you know what? I support your efforts to get your loved ones home. But guess what? I also support this deal that the President has decided to do to put $6 billion into the Islamic Republic of Iran, the largest state sponsor of terror and the very country responsible for the Hamas attacks killing more Jews than I have seen in my lifetime.
My father was a bombardier on a B-17 in World War II. He bombed the Nazis. He saw the Holocaust in his lifetime. I never thought I would see anything like that in my lifetime, but guess what, Mr. Chairman? This is the largest killing since the Holocaust.
I can't look those families in the eye, Mr. Chairman, and tell them that I am going to support this deal to add additional money for terrorism, especially $6 billion.
This is not about the five Americans. We released five Iranians guilty of espionage, in my judgment. This is about the undercurrent of a deal that we don't know about. They are secretive about it, and they need to come forward to the American people through the Congress and let us know what that deal was.
Nevertheless, I, for one, will not sit here in this Chamber and allow this to happen. That is why if they won't do it, then we will. Congress will stop this money from going into Iran not just for politics and not even for the American people but for the victims of terrorism around the world, especially the people of Israel.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.
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