No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5826, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I appreciate the intent of this measure brought to the floor by my friend and colleague from South Carolina, Representative Wilson, which is to help better prevent hostile governments such as Iran from taking Americans hostage or wrongfully detaining them overseas.

I believe Democrats and Republicans must work together and ensure the State Department has all the resources and authorities from Congress that it needs to bring Americans home who have been unjustly held abroad and to offer them the support they need when they return home.

I understand and agree with my colleague's intent to disincentivize bad behavior by hostile actors, and to make clear to anyone who would wrongfully detain any of our citizens that it will not be tolerated.

However, I am concerned that some of the messages sent in this bill risk undermining our key partners in the battle to protect American citizens. I want to make sure the State Department's Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs is given the latitude to negotiate and get the job done.

I would like to offer my appreciation to the SPEHA team for the hard and difficult work it continues to undertake on behalf of the American people. We need to empower that office and the families of wrongful detainees that rely on its vital assistance and advocacy, not inadvertently burden it with extensive reporting or overly restrictive policy prescriptions.

I also want to be certain we do not restrict the freedom of movement of Americans, something that is fundamental to our liberty and, specifically, the impact such a move would have on hundreds of thousands of Iranian Americans who expect our government, unlike the regime in Tehran, to respect their fundamental rights.

That is why I am glad the language on the issue has been made nonbinding, and I really appreciate Representative Wilson working with us on this bill and the effort to make sure that the United States Government's approach on hostages and wrongful detention is smart and effective. We have worked together to achieve this.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this measure. Again, we must do everything we can to prevent Americans from being illegally detained abroad.

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Mr. Wilson from South Carolina for introducing this bill. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5826, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I am grateful for the leadership of Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the ranking member, Greg Meeks. Those of us in South Carolina are always happy to point out his South Carolina heritage as he now ably represents Queens, but we remember his heritage of Rock Hill, and we appreciate his success.

This legislation is so important to strike back against Iran's decades-long strategy of taking innocent Americans hostage to the House floor today.

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

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source