Local Congressman John Shimkus backed two house-passed bills that would prohibit future payments to Iran and shed light on the nation’s financial dealings with the United States.
“According to President Obama’s own State Department, Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,”said Shimkus. “Under no circumstances should the United States send Iran cash that can and will be used to fund acts of terror against civilians, our troops or our allies.”
One bill H.R. 5931, which was passed by the House on Thursday, would prohibit the U.S. from making payments to Iran until the President verifies that Iran is not main money laundering concern or using American dollars to fund terrorism. The bill also reaffirms that it is U.S. policy that will not pay ransom to release prisoners.
“When we think of our nation’s efforts to stop terrorism, we often imagine airstrikes in Iraq or special forces in Afghanistan,” iterated Shimkus. “Those military campaigns are important, but we must also target the flow of money that funds terrorist organizations and operations.”
The other bill H.R. 5461, passed in the House Wednesday, is focused on transparency and would require the Treasurer Secretary to post online estimates of “funds and assets” held by senior Iranian leaders along with how they acquired the assets and what they are being used for. This report would be available to the public on the Treasury Department’s website of the bill were made law.