United States Financial System Protection Act of 2016
Floor Speech
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Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the chairman yielding. I appreciate his work on this important issue. He makes a good point, which is that this is not so much about the JCPOA, as noted by the opposition. This is about the fact that our joint agreement that the Obama administration reached with our allies with Iran is in conflict in many ways with existing Federal law and Federal practice where we are still involved in analyzing Iran for its sanction violations.
More importantly, while there is a lot of talk about the 1-year anniversary of the JCPOA, I want to remind my friends on both sides of the aisle that 7 years ago, in June, 2009, the people of Iran rose up against the malicious mullahs of their murderous regime, and their cries for help fell on deaf ears in the United States. Some 4,000 were arrested.
What has become of them? What has become of those people? What has become of their cause?
So I want to remember in June 2009, the impact of this regime in Iran.
I am proud to support this legislation. I am proud to serve on the Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing.
Look to the State Department's most recent Country Reports on Iran. The report states: ``Iran's state sponsorship of terrorism worldwide remained undiminished through the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, the Quds Force, its Ministry of Intelligence and Security, and Tehran's ally, Hezbollah.''
In addition to its support for terrorism, the Iranian regime is corrupt and known to be involved in money laundering, bribery, and illicit finance around the world--not just the Middle East, but in the Western Hemisphere. The Treasury has designated the Government of Iran as a primary money laundering concern since 2011.
International financial bodies, such as the Financial Action Task Force, have warned Iran's financing of terrorism poses a serious threat to the international financial system.
So since the Iranian deal, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard is actively providing funding and arms to Hezbollah and Hamas, propping up Shia militias in Iraq, and responsible for deaths of Americans and our soldiers in Iraq. They continue to hold hostages. They continue to fail Federal adjudicated claims of 35 years of victims, and they continue to trade and test ballistic weapons, threatening our allies and our best interests.
This legislation is not about sinking the nuclear deal. This legislation is about holding Iran accountable for its terrorist finance activities and its money laundering activities. There is no reason in any way, shape, or form that they deserve dollar access.
This legislation is about maintaining the integrity of our country's financial system and preventing the dollar from being used to support terrorism around the world. I am pleased to support this legislation.
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