Washington, D.C. – Today, Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) issued the following statement after House passage of over two dozen bills to counter the Islamic Republic of Iran after its attack on Israel last weekend:
“Iran’s direct attack on Israel and the countless assaults carried out by Iranian proxies are reprehensible and risk dragging the entire region into conflict. Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East, and I will never waiver in my support for the sovereign Jewish State and its right to defend itself.
“The global instability we are witnessing is a direct result of Biden’s weak and feckless foreign policy. From his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan to releasing billions in Iranian assets to his retreat from President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign, the Biden administration has emboldened Iran. It has empowered Iran to continue its reign as the world’s largest state-sponsor of terror, waging attacks that have injured and claimed the lives of American service-members.
“When America isn’t strong, the world is less safe. This week, the House took substantive steps to restore American deterrence, but this can only be the beginning. To rein in our adversaries and support our allies, both the United States and the world desperately need a Commander in Chief who can restore peace through strength.”
Background:
- Measures passed by the House this week to counter Iran are:
- H.R. 5921 – No U.S. Financing for Iran Act of 2023, to effectively cut off the Iranian Government from the U.S. financial system.
- H.R. 5923 – Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act of 2023, targets the small, independent Chinese oil refiners driving Chinese purchases of Iranian crude and requires the Treasury Department to make annual sanctions determinations for Chinese banks.
- H.R. 6245 – Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act of 2023, exposes the finances of Iran’s authoritarian and theocratic leaders and crack down on financial institutions that maintain accounts in connection with those funds.
- H.R. 6015 – Iran Sanctions Accountability Act of 2023, closes loopholes through which Iran could divert humanitarian aid to fund terrorism and requires the president to prescribe regulations to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the intended population in need.
- H.R. 6408 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1987 to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations, revokes the tax-exempt status for any organization that provides financial support or resources to designated terrorist groups.
- H. R. 3033 – Solidify Iran Sanctions Act, eliminates a sunset clause in the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996.
- H. R. 5826 – No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act, denies a representative of the United Nations diplomatic entry to the United States if the individual is sanctioned under specified Executive Orders related to terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
- H. R. 6603 – No Technology for Terror Act, makes any foreign-produced item affiliated with the Government of Iran subject to the Export Administration Regulations.
- H.R. 4681 – Illicit Captagon Trafficking Suppression Act, to impose sanctions on foreign persons determined to engage in activities or transactions to contribute to the illicit production and proliferation of captagon and require the President to report to Congress on whether certain Syrian or Hezbollah leaders meet the criteria for sanctions imposition.
- H.R. 5917 – Strengthening Tools to Counter the Use of Human Shields Act, to fully implement and enforce sanctions against terrorist organizations and other malign actors that use innocent civilians as human shields.
- H.R. 6323 – Iran Counterterrorism Act of 2023, to waive restrictions on certain U.S. accounts of foreign financial institutions that have facilitated significant financial transactions on behalf of the Central Bank of Iran, certain Iranian financial institutions, or certain Iranian nationals.
- H.R. 5947 – To provide for the recission of certain waivers and licenses relating to Iran, and for other purposes.
- H.R. 4691 – Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act, to restrict the President's authority to unilaterally undertake certain actions with respect to Iran and increases congressional oversight of those actions.
- H.R. 6046 – Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act, to designate Ansarallah (Houthi) as a foreign terrorist organization and the President to impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions.
- H. Res. 1143 – Condemning Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel.
- H. Res. 883 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the slogan, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is antisemitic and its use must be condemned.
- H. Res. 288 – Urging the European Union to expeditiously designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Crops as a terrorist organization under Common Position 931, and for other purposes.
- In October 2023, Rep. Arrington co-sponsored the Iran Maximum Pressure Act, which would reinstitute Trump-era sanctions on Iran to stop it from funding terrorists and halt its progress on obtaining nuclear weapons.
- In December 2021, Rep. Arrington led a bipartisan letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the State Department to hold Iran accountable for their non-cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors and its failure to comply with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations.
- In November 2021, Rep. Arrington joined 24 lawmakers in calling for the Biden administration to uphold economic sanctions and prevent approximately $90 billion from going to the Iranian regime.
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