The State of Qatar

Floor Speech

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Mr. OGLES. Mr. Speaker, if Americans knew that the Biden administration was treating a state sponsor of terrorism like a major ally, they would be infuriated, but that is exactly what is going on with Qatar, a tiny but very wealthy country in the Persian Gulf.

Qatar is a friend to anti-Semites. As the general stated, clearly, they must hate Israel and the Jewish people. They are one of the largest sponsors of state terrorism in the world. They regularly play host to leaders of Hamas and the Taliban. In fact, Qatar provided Hamas leadership with a venue to celebrate the horrific atrocities of October 7.

Only in a world where Joe Biden is President would we be supporting a terrorist country as part of our foreign policy. Last year, President Biden designated Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally, a special designation given to about 20 countries, like Taiwan and Israel, and an honor meant to highlight an extremely close bilateral relationship. In a sense, we do have a close relationship with Qatar, far too close.

Qatar has given over $5 billion--that is b as in bravo--to U.S. colleges, which makes them the number one foreign donor to our very own educational institutions. Researchers at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy have presented a strong link between the funding of U.S. universities by Doha and the active presence of anti- Semitic groups on those campuses.

Needless to say, we should be extremely wary about the impact of these donations on our young people. For decades, Congress has allowed these donations to flow into our universities without any supervision or meaningful disclosure requirements.

Meanwhile, American Jews are harassed on campuses or compelled not to reveal their Jewish heritage. Since the start of the October 7 war, 73 percent of Jewish students in the U.S. have been victims or witnesses to on-campus anti-Semitism.

Qatar has the honor of hosting a major airbase outside of Doha. The presence of that airbase all but ensures their safety and that they will never be attacked. You would hope, at the very least, Qatar would try hard to ensure that it is not spreading anti-Semitism or supporting anti-American sentiments, but we have seen this anti-Semitism. We have seen it alive and well on Qatar's state-owned media outlet, Al Jazeera, or, as I like to say, AJTN, Al Jazeera terrorist network.

Unfortunately, criticisms of Qatar come in muted in this town. Doha has certainly poisoned the well, purchasing the loyalties of university elites, influential think tanks, some of the best lobbyists that money can buy, and even politicians, which is why so many D.C. institutions whitewash Qatar's support for terrorism.

On top of this, as I mentioned earlier, Qatar lets the leaders of Hamas and the Taliban stay at the most expensive hotels in Doha and provides up to $480 million, half a billion dollars, to Hamas to keep their military afloat.

Qatar will tell you that this is going to nonmilitary uses, but we have heard throughout testimony today that money flowing to Qatar, flowing to Iran, is fungible.

As the former chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, once put it, in Qatar, there are three buckets: terror financed by the government, terror financed through Qataris, and terror financing that Qatar doesn't stop.

That is the former chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee commenting on something that has been known for decades, known in this town, that Qatar openly and actively supports terrorism.

Let's look at a few more examples. In 2003, Congress was informed of Qatar's funding to charities that support al-Qaida, including the bin Laden-endorsed charity, the Qatar Charity. The same year, The New York Times also reported that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11 and one of the terrorists responsible for murdering 3,000 Americans, fled to Qatar from Kuwait in order to avoid apprehension.

We also know that Qatar has provided support for al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria, al-Nusrah Front. Qatar has provided support to numerous terrorist groups, including the Taliban, the Muslim Brotherhood, and, of course, its most visible beneficiary, Hamas.

What would you call a group that supports terrorists or a country that supports terrorist groups like al-Qaida, al-Nusrah, the Taliban, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas? You would call them a state sponsor of terrorism.

That is what this administration needs to do. It needs to remove Qatar's Major Non-NATO Ally status until such time that Qatar denounces terrorism and any support for terrorism or terrorist groups. If they don't, maybe it is time to label them as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Earlier today, this House passed, in a unanimous fashion, my amendment to call on Qataris to condemn Hamas, turn over Hamas leadership to the U.S. or Israeli custody, and prevent Iran from receiving any funds.

If the Emir of Qatar were here on the House floor, I would tell him to pick a side. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. Enough equivocating.

Let me be clear. I do not wish ill on Qatar. In fact, I am open to dialogue.

To the people of Qatar, I wish them well, but I want to ensure that my country has partners it can trust. Qatar has demonstrated time and again its unwillingness to abandon its two-faced approach toward relations with the United States and with terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, regarding the atrocities, what does Qatar have to say when a mom and her 10- to 12-year-old daughter were brutally raped, left naked, and murdered in their home?

What does Qatar have to say when a baby was put into an oven, the father murdered, and the wife brutally raped? What does Qatar have to say?

When women were being gang-raped, their breasts cut off, and the terrorists were playing with them, tossing them around like toys, what does Qatar have to say?

When they were sexually abusing men and cutting off their genitals, what does Qatar have to say?

When the pregnant mom, her mouth gagged, was being held while they cut the baby out of her womb, what does Qatar have to say?

They blame Israel.

They need to pick a side. For too long, they have been on the wrong side.

Let me make one final note on Qatar, and it is in reference to a comment made earlier by my colleague from Texas. He mentioned Qatar's role in helping to release hostages from the clutches of the Hamas dogs, the terrorists of Hamas. Most Americans taken by Hamas on October 7 are still in custody. What has Qatar done?

Many people, Israeli and otherwise, are still in Hamas custody. What has Qatar done?

I would say they are stalling for time to allow Hamas to regroup, to flee, and to rebuild. It is time that families and children be reunited. We want every hostage released now.

We pose a question to you: Do you think Qatar is the best intermediary for releasing hostages? I don't think they are.

I am grateful for every hostage that has been released, but while Qatar is helping to release some hostages, they are also ensuring Hamas' preservation.

I said earlier today that someone who robs your home and then offers to cut your grass 2 days later is still a thief. It does not change who they are.

Given the level of financing Qatar provides Hamas on an annual basis, they could have at least compelled the release of all Americans.

Let me mention briefly, Mr. Speaker, my Trust But Verify Act, which would delist Qatar's MNNA status, Major Non-NATO Ally status, until the President certifies that they are no longer providing support for international terrorism, and the President must recertify this every 90 days.

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