Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HILL. I thank the chairman of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5461 today, and I am a proud original cosponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Poliquin's approach is simply a commonsense thing to do. When you consider that this administration, 6 years ago, turned its back on the Iranian people when they were trying to protest their notorious regime and take to the streets, but then instead of aiding those citizens, they turned their back on the people of Iran to negotiate with the ayatollahs what I believe to be an ill-conceived and poorly designed nuclear deal.

My friend from Connecticut (Mr. Himes) makes the point of asset transparency and argues that this bill would not, in fact, help advance the transparency of the Quds Force or the aggregation of these assets in the hands of these 80 individuals. But, in fact, if the administration was serious about transparency, they would not give the largest state sponsor of terrorism $1.7 billion in Swiss francs and euros to become an untraceable honey pot for the purchase of ballistic missile components or fund terrorism in the West Bank or back Assad.

Representative Price of North Carolina talks about this act actually strengthening the hard-liners. I would argue, if this is strengthening the hardliners, what, in fact, did the JCPOA accomplish when we report a 50 percent increase in incursions from the Iranian military in our air and sea activities in the Persian Gulf?

The hard-liners in Iran called the payment of $1.7 billion a ransom-- not the people of the United States. In fact, they have taken two more additional hostages as a result of this administration's process.

If we are not strengthening the hard-liners, then why is Iran doubling down on acquiring ballistic missile technology and backing the absolute destruction of Syria?

So, Mr. Chairman, I think this is a commonsense measure that will let the people of Iran see what the 80 powerful individuals are doing with the billions that have been freed up to come back to the people, to the country of Iran.

Street paving is not going on, Mr. Chairman. What is going on is the expansion of terrorism and billions in untraceable money backing a regime that our own State Department and Treasury says is undiminished in their sponsor of terrorism worldwide.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Poliquin's commonsense bill.

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