In January, the President announced that Iran freed several American hostages in a prisoner swap with the United States which released seven Iranians serving sentences for serious crimes. Coinciding with the exchange, the Administration also revealed that it paid Iran $1.7 billion.
When questioned about the payment, the Administration denied that it was in any way related to the release of the American hostages, and refused to disclose further details about the arrangement. However, the State Department confirmed last month that the hostages were only released once the payment – made in unmarked foreign cash – was secure; meaning the President deliberately ignored a longstanding U.S. policy to not pay ransom for hostages.
The President explained the reason the payment had to be made in cash was because the United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran that permits wire transfers. Yet, we recently learned this was untrue and that the Administration has actually wired the Iranian Regime millions of dollars within the past two years – both before and after the $1.7 billion cash payment.
Currently, there’s nothing on the books to stop similar transactions from happening in the future. However, it goes without saying that we never thought a law to prevent a president from sending untraceable cash to the world’s leading state sponsor of terror would be necessary. Turns out – it is.
With my support last week, the House took action to advance legislation that will block all cash payments to Iran. H.R. 5931, the Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act, demands transparency on future settlements to ensure they are not used to pay ransom.
Learn more here.
Washington Wrap-Up
Last week, the House took action to pass several important measures. Below are a few that may be of interest to you:
H.R. 3438 - REVIEW Act of 2016
As you may know, “high impact rules” are defined as regulations issued by executive agencies that cost over $1 billion annually from the time they take effect until all court challenges to the regulations in question are settled. When these rules are being challenged, or eventually overturned by the courts, the American people are left to pick up the billions of dollars in unnecessary compliance costs for a rule that the courts might ultimately reject. By curtailing these far-reaching regulations, the REVIEW Act provides relief to the hardworking Americans bearing the cost of these blanket regulations and ensures Washington bureaucrats are held accountable.
Learn more here.
H.R. 5461 - Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act
Iran is considered the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and is also identified by the State Department as a country of “primary concern” for money laundering. Many members of Iran’s senior political and military leadership have acquired significant personal and institutional wealth by using their positions to secure control of major portions of the Iranian national economy. It’s also important to note that relief of sanctions provided through the President's flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran Deal, has resulted in the removal of many Iranian entities that are tied to government corruption from the list of entities sanctioned by the United States.
Further, Iran’s business sector also has substantial involvement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Special Forces unit, the Quds Force, is known to fund terrorist groups around the world. The foundations controlled by top political and military leaders control an estimated one-third of Iran's economy, giving the IRGC and its leaders a mass influx of funds to sponsor terrorism at a time when the average Iranian citizen earns about $15,000 a year. Due to the extent of Iran’s involvement in terrorism and corruption, it’s critical that we clearly understand the assets held by Iran’s tyrannical government leadership and top military leaders. The Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act will allow us to do just that by publicizing assets associated with members of Iran’s most powerful people.
Learn more here.
Nevada Newsmakers in Washington
I had the opportunity to join Sam Shad for an episode of Nevada Newsmakers during his recent trip to Washington. From defense funding, to public lands, we touched on a number of important topics. Click here or on the image above to learn more about what we discussed.
Washington Intern
A special thank you to our Washington intern Alex Attebery for his hard work this summer. As an intern, Alex assisted my Washington staff with legislative projects, led Capitol tours, and attended hearings and briefings – all while helping serve the constituents of CD-2. I wish Alex the best of luck as he moves on to be the Staff Assistant/ Creative Assistant for the Committee on House Administration.
Serving Nevada
Recently, one of my district representatives in Reno, Tracy Soliday, helped secure benefits for a veteran in CD-2 who stopped receiving service compensation after a paperwork discrepancy. Tracy notified the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) on the individual’s behalf, and was successful in reinstating the benefits. Tracy continues to work on this particular case to ensure the constituent receives the proper amount owed while the payment was temporarily disrupted.
My staff and I work for you, the people of the Nevada's 2nd Congressional District. If you are ever having an issue with a federal agency and need immediate assistance, please give one of my offices a ring. My staff is happy to assist in any way possible.
For additional information, please visit my website at amodei.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-6155, Reno office: (775) 686-5760 or Elko office: (775) 777-7705. To receive updates on what I am doing in Washington and in Nevada’s 2nd District follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.
