Should Congress block Iran from receiving $6 billion in exchange for hostages?
H.R. 5961 will limit $6 billion in U.S. funds allocated to Iran for negotiating hostage releases. This is motivated by the fear that, rather than using the funds for their intended purposes of developmental and humanitarian aid, the Iranian government will use the money to fund terrorists and military operations. In particular, sponsors of the bill fear that Iran will use the funds to provide additional funding to Hamas, Hezbollah, and other insurgent forces in the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Sponsor: Rep. Michael T. McCaul (Republican, Texas, District 10)
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Opponents say
• "The facts are that these were – these were not U.S. taxpayer dollars. These were Iranian resources that it had accumulated from the sale of its oil that were stuck in a bank in South Korea. From day one, under our law, under our sanctions going back many years, it’s always had the right to use those funds for humanitarian purposes – for food, for medicine, for medical equipment. The funds were moved from one bank to another where it could more easily do that, but under the close supervision of the U.S. Treasury Department." Source: Antony Blinken (Secretary of State), Meet the Press
• "[I]f we blow up this agreement by passing this bill, we, the United States, will be the ones breaking yet another sensitive, negotiated agreement with Iran. Our word and integrity will no longer be good in negotiations. This prisoner agreement has eliminated a long-standing obstacle for improving U.S.-Iranian relations for the purpose of preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon… None of the bad options we possess to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions are better than the diplomatic track which has already proven successful. Remember it was the United States who violated the JCPOA, not Iran. Pulling out of this hostage agreement will be the second time we violated an agreement with Iran’s leaders. Passage of this bill would mean potentially slamming this door closed on future diplomacy, leaving us with only dangerous and highly risky options of confronting Iran’s nuclear program. The prisoner swap confirms to the Iranian regime and others watching that the United States is a reliable negotiating partner. This is a crucial basis for the reopening of formal nuclear negotiations in the future. We must keep this possibility alive." Source: Rep. Gregory Meeks (Democrat, New York, District 5), ranking member of the House Foreign affairs committee
• "The United States has a very long history of providing humanitarian aid to oppressed peoples and oppressed populations, even in instances where there are malign and oppressive regimes to which we are very adverse…we provide humanitarian aid for people in oppressive areas because helping them meet their basic needs, making sure that they have medicine, that they are healthy, that they have food, actually helps them resist. Oppressive regimes deprive their people of basic needs because it is a mechanism of control. And when we help meet those needs, we are actually undermining the tools of control of those regimes. That’s why it’s in our national security and foreign policy interest to do this. And I would be very concerned about any bill or any sanctions program or change to a sanctions program that takes away a very powerful tool to help oppressed people resist oppression in a manner that’s consistent with the interests of the United States." Source: Rep. Jason Crow (Democrat, Colorado, District 6)
Proponents say
• "I’m proud to introduce this legislation that would permanently freeze the $6 billion the Biden administration freed up in the hostage deal with Iran last month. No matter what assurances the Biden administration makes, the president of Iran has said he would use this money however he wants. Iran is the largest state sponsor of terror in the world. We cannot give them another $6 billion for their terror operations, which include ongoing support for Hamas’ unprovoked war against our ally Israel." Source: Michael T. McCaul (Republican, Texas, District 10), Foreign Affairs Committee
• "The Biden administration’s decision to release $6 billion to Iran – the world’s leading state sponsor of terror – was a grave mistake that created a market for American hostages, emboldened our adversaries, and put a credit on the balance sheets of one of Hamas’s biggest backers,” said Ranking Member Tim Scott. “In the wake of Hamas’s horrific attacks on Israel, it has only become clearer that this rogue regime cannot be trusted as long they continue to support terrorist organizations. My bill is a comprehensive approach to wielding our economic sanctions tools against Iran by freezing the $6 billion and ensuring Congress has the information necessary to prevent Iran from accessing funds in the future. We must be unequivocal that the United States will not back down and waive sanctions on frozen Iranian funds held by other nations." Source: Senator Tim Scott (Republican, South Carolina), Press Release
• "Hamas couldn’t have planned or carried out its attack against Israel without support from Iran, the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism. Our legislation will halt efforts to provide billions of dollars to Iran. It will also increase transparency by providing Congress with more information about Iran’s high-value assets around the world that are currently subject to U.S. sanctions." Source: Deb Fischer (Republican, Nebraska), Press Release
- McCaul Introduces Bill to Permanently Freeze the $6 Billion in Iranian Funds (Press Release)
- Sens. Rick Scott & Tim Scott Lead Colleagues in Bill to Freeze $6 Billion to Iran, Probe Additional Iranian Assets
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken with Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press (U.S. Department of State)
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul’s Top Donors (Open Secrets)
