Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4411, the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act.

I would particularly like to thank the ranking member for the time this afternoon and for the tremendous bipartisan support shown in the Foreign Affairs Committee to address one of our most critical national security challenges.

The way this committee has run, both by the ranking member and the chairman, making a difference and taking the challenges of our world in a bipartisan way is most remarkable and worthy of our Nation.

I want to thank my friend, Mark Meadows, along with the chairman and ranking member, for their tireless efforts on this important piece of legislation.

I would also like to thank the outstanding effort of the majority and minority staff, along with Mr. Meadows' staff and my own team, who have put so much time and effort into perfecting this bill.

The United States has designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization since 1995. As earlier noted, with the sole exception of al Qaeda, Hezbollah is responsible for more American deaths abroad than any other terrorist organization.

The legislation we are considering today would give the administration the means necessary to combat Hezbollah's global financial network. The bill not only broadens the Treasury Department's ability to sanction Hezbollah finances, but it also gives the administration another tool to go after Hezbollah for its narcotics and counterfeit goods trafficking.

Furthermore, the bill cripples Al-Manar, a television station that broadcasts pro-Hezbollah propaganda around the area. The Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act is a leap forward in combating the threat of global terrorist financing.

We have known for years that the international organization Hezbollah has planned, funded, and executed terrorist attacks in the Middle East, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere. It continues to use underground networks and elicit materials to fundraise its global instability efforts.

It has used U.S. and European banks along with their subsidiaries to hide and launder money out of the South American and European finance arenas, financing thousands of Hezbollah operatives around the globe.

One need only look at some of Hezbollah's attacks to understand the true threat they pose to U.S. national security.

In 1983, Hezbollah bombed the U.S. barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 Marines.

In 1992, Hezbollah bombed the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29.

Twenty years ago last year, in 1994, Hezbollah bombed the AMIA Jewish cultural center in Argentina, killing 85.

In 2006, Hezbollah operatives conducted cross-border raids into Israel, kidnapping IDF soldiers, which led to a 34-day military conflict between Israel and Lebanon.

In 2011, reports indicated that Hezbollah was behind a bombing in Istanbul that wounded eight Turkish citizens.

In 2012, authorities apprehended a Hezbollah operative planning terrorist activity in Cyprus against civilian commercial airlines.

In 2012, Hezbollah bombed a bus in Burgas, Bulgaria, killing six Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian bus driver.

Mr. Speaker, these are just a scarce few of the activities of Hezbollah that have targeted U.S. interests or our allies around the world.

In particular, over the last 2 weeks, we have seen the incredible destabilizing force that Iran continues to play in the Middle East. Stockpiles of Iranian-made rockets have allowed Hamas and Islamic Jihad to put all of Israel's major population centers under threat of indiscriminate attack on civilians. In the last 2 weeks alone, over 2,000 rockets have rained down on Israel.

In Lebanon, the threat is even greater. Hezbollah maintains a massive stockpile of Iranian arms with greater range and far greater lethality than those launched from Gaza. Tens of thousands of rockets are aimed at Israel and could be unleashed at any moment.

That is why, today, it is such a critical first step towards thwarting the unrelenting force. The sanctions included in this legislation will stem the ability of Hezbollah to purchase arms and employ operatives throughout the Middle East and the rest of the globe.

We can and must do more to stem the global financing of these activities. Today, we have that opportunity, and I hope that you will join us in combating this pressing threat to U.S. national security.

The Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act provides the administration with vital tools to go after financial institutions and satellite providers that deliver material support and propaganda tools to Hezbollah.

This important effort will result in fewer resources falling into the hands of terrorists, who have shown great resilience in attacking Western targets, in addition to the destabilizing efforts in the Middle East.

I want to thank the chairman and ranking member again, along with my friend, Mark Meadows, for working with us to introduce this important legislation.

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