Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2018

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4591) to impose sanctions with respect to Iranian persons that threaten the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume

Mr. Speaker, this past September, thousands of Iraqis protested throughout the south of the country calling for Iran to stop meddling in their democracy. Yet, as these protesters shouted out, ``Iran out,'' their pleas were met with bullets by militias funded by and commanded by Iranians.

This latest bout of violence in Iraq is not surprising. Iran has used the fight against ISIS as an excuse to expand its footprint inside Iraq and to fund tens of thousands of militia forces. Even as ISIS has receded in Iraq, Iranian-backed militias have continued to expand throughout the country and to expand into Syria, where these militias have helped the brutal Assad regime commit countless war crimes.

These Iranian-backed militias not only threaten the Syrian and Iraqi people, they also pose a serious threat to U.S. personnel serving overseas, and I will tell you why.

Mr. Speaker, 2 months ago, one of these militias launched mortars at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, prompting a stern warning from the administration that the U.S. will hold the Iranian regime accountable for any attack by these militias against any U.S. personnel or U.S. Government facility.

These militias also pose a direct threat to Israel. Some have formed a so-called Golan Liberation Brigade, with the explicit intent to attack Israel. The U.N. Ambassador, Nikki Haley, has cited reports alleging that Iran has begun transferring ballistic missiles to these militias that are in Iraq.

Despite all this, many of these Iranian-backed militias have not been designated as terrorist organizations nor are they otherwise subject to U.S. sanctions, despite being affiliates of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. This oversight could allow these militias to access the U.S. financial system.

Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan legislation will allow support and it will bring that support to democracy in Iraq, and it will counter Iran's deadly influence there. This bill is narrowly tailored to go after those militias directly funded and commanded by the IRGC--the same militias that have attacked our soldiers; the same militias that continue to threaten those in the region.

I am pleased that this bill also includes provisions to establish a watch list of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, which will allow Congress to continually monitor Iran's activity in the country, including new militias which may emerge in the future.

The Iraqi people deserve and want genuine political reform and democracy, and above all else, they want peace. This cannot happen so long as Iran continues to fund and command militias within Iraq.

Empowering Iranian militias is a step backwards for Iraq. Instead, it would introduce the Hezbollah model and all the chaos that goes along with it. Iranian influence will only perpetuate the cycle of violence and increase the sectarian polarization, once again creating the conditions for the reemergence of ISIS, al-Qaida, and other radical Islamist groups.

For all these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on the Judiciary,

Washington, DC, November 27, 2018.

Hon. Edward R. Royce,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Royce: I write with respect to H.R. 4591, the

``Preventing Iranian Destabilization of Iraq Act.'' As a

result of your having consulted with us on provisions within

H.R. 4591 that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the

Committee on the Judiciary, I forego any further

consideration of this bill so that it may proceed

expeditiously to the House floor for consideration.

The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual

understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 4591 at

this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject

matter contained in this or similar legislation and that our

committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as

this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may

address any remaining issues in our jurisdiction. Our

committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of an

appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate

conference involving this or similar legislation and asks

that you support any such request.

I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 4591 and would ask

that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be

included in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration of the bill.

Sincerely,

Bob Goodlatte,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger). A member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, he is the author of this bill, and his service to our Nation includes the time he spent as an Air Force pilot serving in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairman emeritus of the Foreign Affairs Committee, who chairs the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Judge Ted Poe, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues for their bipartisan work on this important legislation. This measure will send a clear message to the Iraqi people that the U.S. supports them in their quest for peace and stability and democracy.

Still recovering from the atrocities and desolation left by ISIS, the Iraqi people deserve a chance to establish a stable democracy free of Iranian meddling.

To be clear, these Iranian-backed militias are not just a threat to the Iraqi people. These same militias have launched mortars at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and continue to threaten Israel. It is well past the time that these militias face justice and accountability for their war crimes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, and I thank Representatives Kinzinger, Poe, and Suozzi for their bipartisan leadership on this legislation. And, of course, I thank Chairman Royce for working with me to get this legislation into shape for the floor.

The vision that Democrats and Republicans have for Iraq is very similar. We all want to see Iraqis work together to provide for a more prosperous future for their country. We want the greatest number of Iraqis to access the wealth of their country's natural resources. We want to see Iraqis focus more on what unites them than what divides them. We want to prevent the resurgence of ISIS and the next generation of ISIS or al-Qaida. We want to protect religious minorities.

That is why it is so important to bring this legislation to the floor today. That is why Republicans and Democrats worked together to find common ground on American policies in Iraq. Especially after the Iraqi election, when it remains unclear which path Iraq will choose, we want to demonstrate to the Iraqi people that we support their efforts to build a better country.

This bill penalizes those who want to exploit Iraq's sectarian differences and those who use violence toward those ends. It also establishes a separate watch list to help keep track of proxy groups in Iraq that are doing the bidding of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

It sends the message that those in power must prioritize answering to the Iraqi people and not to Iran. We hope that this legislation will empower those who seek a better future for Iraq and its people.

I am glad to support H.R. 4591, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi), an original cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This is both a happy and sad moment for me. I am happy because, in the new Congress, I will be in the majority. But I am sad because so many of my friends are retiring, not coming back.

I mentioned my good friend Mr. Poe before, and I just want to mention our now Speaker up here, my good friend, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. We have been working together for more than 25 years in passing all kinds of important legislation involving people's support around the world, making lives a little bit better for people, and working here to promote democracy at home.

I want to have the opportunity to say that this Congress will be missing you. I know I will be missing you, and I know we will be in touch. You are the kind of Member that we need more of, someone who always reached across the aisle, someone who always worked in a bipartisan manner, and someone who was effective and intelligent. I am just proud to call you my friend. I had to say that.

So I am going to close and say that Iraq is at a crossroads.

We have another speaker? I am sorry. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Madam Speaker, it seems like we are playing revolving or musical chairs, but it is so good, because I get to see all my friends from different angles.

Madam Speaker, Iraq is at a crossroads. And as someone who wants to see Iraq succeed in promoting pluralism and tolerance, I support this legislation because it will help Iraqis build a better future.

This bill makes it clear that the United States will not side with those who continue to foment sectarian strife. No matter where you are from, if you undermine the democratic process in Iraq, if you threaten peace and stability there, if you prevent the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, you will be penalized. That is why this bill is so important.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 4591 and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Engel and Chairman Royce for their bipartisan cooperation in this committee, and I thank Representative Kinzinger for his leadership on promoting stability in the Middle East overall.

Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of the bipartisan H.R. 4591, the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2018.

At the 2018 United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Rouhani spoke against foreign interventions and impositions of ``alien wishes of the people of the region.'' Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif complained about countries that support ``nonstate actors who wreak havoc through terror.'' They both might want to look in the mirror.

In Iraq, Iranian-backed militias have committed human rights abuses for years, executing and beating civilians and looting homes. These same militias have taken roles in trying to influence Iraq's nascent political system.

In Iraq's recent elections, IRGC Commander Qasem Soleimani personally meddled in Iraq's political process by coercing Shiite parties with differing views to form a parliamentary majority, one that presumably would favor

Iran's agenda. This, of course, is only one example of Iranian activities across the Middle East.

In Syria, Iranian-backed militias have done their own share of murdering and looting. In Yemen, the Iranian-backed Houthis oppress their own people and fire ballistic missiles at civilians in Saudi Arabia. From Bahrain to Lebanon, Iran has played a destabilizing role.

H.R. 4591 would sanction any foreign person, not just Iranians, conducting significant destabilizing activities in Iraq.

Corruption is endemic and rampant in Iraq's political system. Iraq's long-term stability depends on a representative government that reflects the will of the people.

This bill requires our government to review the status of two of Tehran's proxies in Iran, HHN and AAH, and assess whether the State Department should designate them as foreign terrorist organizations.

By 2011, AAH claimed responsibility for thousands of attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, including the tragic 2007 attack on the Karbala provincial headquarters, which resulted in the execution of four Americans. The group is notorious for its use of explosively formed penetrators, the devastating IEDs that have killed and maimed far too many American troops and civilians.

HHN, a hybrid of fighters from AAH and Hezbollah Brigades of Iraq, played an active role against Americans during the Iraq war, and now in Syria's civil war, boasting of a unit in the Golan Heights targeting Israel.

These groups claim they exist to protect Iraqis, but as the evidence clearly demonstrates, they terrorize their countrymen and innocents across the region.

But these militias are not the only security threat in Iraq. Although the Islamic State has largely been driven from Iraq, the country still faces a myriad of economic and political challenges. Left unaddressed, Iraq could once again destabilize, creating a void for ISIS or other extremists to fill and, once again, throw the region into chaos and turmoil.

This summer, citizens of Basra, Iraq's second largest city, openly protested the corruption and mismanagement that has tainted their water supply and left their electrical grid in tatters. They directed some of their anger at the Iranian-backed militias that have enriched themselves while ordinary Iraqis suffered.

The Iraqi Government cannot provide the services its citizens so desperately need while so much power is controlled by the militias. We need to stand with and aid Iraqis that merely want to root out corruption and malign foreign interference in their internal affairs.

For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4591.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding and for his many years of service.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4591, the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq of 2018, which I introduced with my colleague, Representative Suozzi.

Since the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iran has been working to gain access and influence in Iraq by dismantling American efforts to stabilize the country and the region. It is abundantly clear that Iran is working to gain influence in Iraq to further their radical agenda, and we must do everything in our power to counter their tyrannical regime and provide hope for the Iraqi people.

I am troubled by the growing influence of Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, which are being set up as a parallel military structure to undermine the Iraqi security forces.

Just this week, we saw the head of a powerful PMF, which would be sanctioned under this legislation, demanding that the Iraqi Government allow these militias to secure the border with Syria. Not only would this legitimize the PMF, but it would also give the Iranians one of their greatest desires, a secure land bridge to supply weapons and troops from Tehran to the Mediterranean.

Over the past few months, we have seen the security situation in Iraq slip further into despair. The U.S. compounds in Baghdad and Basra were attacked by Iranian-backed groups, resulting in the latter shutting its doors.

I believe retreating will only hurt the Iraqis and make the region a more dangerous place, a lesson that we have already learned once.

Following the elections in Iraq this year, we saw Iranian proxies and militias, as well as Iraqis working on behalf of the Iranians, attempting to form a coalition government in Baghdad.

This act, which passed the committee unanimously, would impose sanctions on Iranians or any other person who threatens the peace and stability of Iraq. It will also sanction several terrorist organizations, as well as their leaders, many of which are trained and funded by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Passage of this legislation ensures that the Iranians are not given a free pass to meddle in the affairs of the Iraqi people. I thank all my colleagues for their work on this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I want to reiterate that when the Foreign Affairs Committee meets and makes a decision, we do that almost in unison, Republicans and Democrats, looking out for the best foreign policy of the United States. And Chairman Royce and Mr. Engel, Chairman Engel, will do a great job in leading that effort, as you have done in the past when you were chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

I am proud to support Representative Kinzinger's bill, the Preventing Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2018.

For too long, Iraq has been the center of chaos and instability in the Middle East. While much of this is due to terrorist groups, its expansionist, saber-rattling neighbor to the east also bears enormous responsibility for undermining Iraq's sovereignty and security.

Iran is determined, in my opinion, to make Iraq a puppet state of its tyranny. For years, Iran has armed and financed thousands of Iraqi militia fighters loyal to Tehran to spread its influence and fight its foreign wars. Many of these militiamen have American blood on their hands as well as their own countrymen's.

Earlier this year, Iran's proxies in Iraq seized more seats in Iraq's parliament and used violence to crush anti-Iranian protests.

This legislation codifies crucial authorities to target Iran's destabilizing activity.

The bill also includes parts of my Iranian Proxies Terrorist Sanctions bill, which calls for the designation of two of the deadliest Iraqi militia groups backed by Iran: AAH and HHN.

These killers have attacked Americans, including firing rockets at U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq as recently as this past August.

They have participated in Bashar al-Assad's slaughter of the Syrian people and expressed a desire to attack Israel. War is in the mind of the Ayatollah.

We must battle Iran in the arenas it hopes to control. Iraq is one of those key arenas.

This legislation is a step towards confronting Iran's conquest of the Middle East.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this important legislation and for the Senate to quickly bring it to the floor to help stop Iran, the world's number one state sponsor of terror, from spreading its violent hate.

And that is just the way it is, Madam Speaker.