Iran Accountability Act of 2016
Floor Speech
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Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, it is a little insulting to hear the remarks that were just made, as if any objection not toeing the line of this President, having objections to this arrangement, is partisan politics.
The gentleman may have misspoken when he suggested that the Iran nuclear deal was signed. I would offer that the Iran nuclear deal actually hasn't been signed. The President has acknowledged not only is this not a treaty, but Secretary Kerry, when he was before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it is not even an executive agreement. It is a political commitment, a signed letter from the State Department saying that this is an unsigned political commitment. Now, we are allowed to have objections to that.
I would suggest that the best interest of national security is to join in support of this bill and putting that over party politics.
I rise today in support of the Iran Accountability Act introduced by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
I also commend Chairman Ed Royce for all of his incredibly valuable leadership, chairing the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and I also commend Ranking Member Eliot Engel, who I know is deeply passionate about U.S. security and the relationship with and accountability with Iran and strengthening our relationship with Israel. I know his heart is absolutely in the right place.
So it is not a difficult position for all the Democratic colleagues who voted against the Iran nuclear agreement. I know that that takes an incredible amount of courage to stand up to a President of your own party. You did it for all the right reasons, putting national security over party politics.
That wasn't partisanship. It was actually a bipartisan vote in this House to disapprove of that Iran nuclear deal. Democrats who decided to put American security first voted against the Iran nuclear deal, an unsigned political commitment.
Why were the Iranians at the table? Sanctions relief. It is not because we asked nicely, not because they want to be good world citizens. It is because they wanted the money.
Then we gave them the money. They got through their election.
By the way, those who say that the most moderate members were elected, that is discounting the fact that the 12,000 most moderate members weren't even allowed access to the ballot. There were only the hardliners left on the ballot.
So the Iranians get the money; they get past their elections; and here we are today. And you are insulting us in this Chamber by saying that any concern that we have, if it doesn't toe the President's party line, is partisan politics.
I don't care who the President is, whether it is Republican or Democrat, this one or the next one, the fact is what brought the Iranians to the table, the leverage, was the sanctions relief. And the sanctions relief that they received is now gone.
So as they test-fire intercontinental ballistic missiles in violation of international law, they unjustly imprison Americans as they commit their human rights abuses. Everything that they are doing today, we take exception with and we are acting on, and that's why I rise.
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Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, everything that we come to this well on this day to vote in favor of this legislation and Chairman Royce's legislation, three pieces of legislation to hold the Iranians accountable, it is the fact that, if we want the Iranians to come back to the table, we need to put the leverage back on the table. They are not coming back if we ask nicely. They haven't changed who they are. They are not good world citizens.
I am not going to sit here and allow this script of a White House taxpayer-funded fiction writer, Ben Rhodes, going to the media to spread whatever false lies and narratives to help sell the Iran nuclear deal.
We are here to represent our constituents and the American public. This is not about a narrative of a President and his legacy. This is about American security and doing what is best and doing what is right for our constituents and the American public.
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