Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act of 2023

Floor Speech

I rise in support of H.R. 6245, sponsored by Representative Hill and Representative Vargas. This bill would require the President to report on the assets of certain Iranian Government officials and terrorist leaders and requires the publication of those assets in a report.

We have heard from Treasury that to the extent that the Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC, which administers U.S. sanctions, has such information. It has already acted on it by imposing sanctions on these leaders and officials. Nevertheless, I and my Democratic colleagues on the Financial Services Committee are comfortable combining these names and assets into one place. If OFAC hasn't already sanctioned any of the persons on this list, additional sanctions should follow.

Democrats also pressed our Republican colleagues to also include the names and assets of Russian and Belarusian elites, especially due to the growing collaboration of Iran and Russia. Unfortunately, they were not supportive of that effort. While that is a missed opportunity, I hope Republicans will finally allow funding for Ukraine's war effort to come to the floor so that Ukrainians can defeat Putin.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

H.R. 6245 would direct the President to create a public report of Iranian leaders and their assets, helping Congress ensure that the U.S. Government is appropriately sanctioning those officials. Although this bill would not do anything to protect Israel from another attack, nor would it support our allies like Ukraine and Taiwan, who are either being attacked or threatened by an authoritarian regime, it may help identify targets for additional sanctions.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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