Justice for Victims of Iranian Terrorism Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HILL. I thank Mr. Meehan for his leadership on this, and I thank the ranking member and the chairman for their opposition to the Iranian agreement, which I believe was ill-conceived and not enough time given for those negotiations to bear true fruit. In fact, that is the whole point of our debate today. The maximum amount of negotiating clout that the United States had over these sanctions was during these negotiations, before we released sanctions, before Iran gets access to their monthly oil flow and their $100 billion.

We have $44 billion and 85 judgments. The number of intelligence agents that have worked day and night to adjudicate these claims in court, the number of FBI agents involved, the Federal Government's obligation to generate awards for these victims, and yet this administration has never raised it in public in regard to the Iranian agreement.

Under the 1996 and 2008 Federal Sovereign Immunities Act, the President of the United States is obligated to seek resolution for these claims.

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Mr. HILL. He is obligated to adjudicate these claims and seek restitution for these victims under the Federal Sovereign Immunities Act. President Bush did his duty. When he had leverage over Libya, he got the claims paid for the victims of terror in Libya.

For every day we come to work in this House and we ask, ``What can we do to help this country? How can we right a wrong?'' today is that day.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support Mr. Meehan's outstanding bill. Let's right the wrong. Let's adjudicate these claims. Let's get this money back for the victims of terrorism.

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