Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2023

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3033) to repeal the sunset provision of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, and for other purposes.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, for 27 years, this law, the Iran Sanctions Act, enacted in 1996, has been the foundation of our pressure campaign to compel Iran to abandon its ballistic missile development and support for terrorism.

In the intervening years, these sanctions have been expanded as the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear program and other malign activities become increasingly obvious and pressing. What we saw this weekend is that these sanctions are more necessary than ever.

Iran, for the first time ever, has launched a direct attack on Israel, firing over 300 missiles and drones directly at Israel. Thankfully, 99 percent of these weapons were intercepted by Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Jordan.

Iran has the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. It is not amassing these weapons for show. It is amassing these weapons to use them, just as they gruesomely did this weekend.

At the same time, Iran is pressing forward with its provocative nuclear program, expanding its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and refusing to cooperate in the dispute with the IAEA.

Iranian terrorist puppets are showing the world the destructive capabilities they have gained from years of Iranian support. Hamas launched its October 7 massacre that murdered over 1,200 innocent people in Israel, Hezbollah in Lebanon launched nearly daily attacks on Israel's northern border, and the Houthis in Yemen are lobbing missiles and UAVs at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Additionally, Iran is selling these dangerous weapons to war criminal Putin to fuel his murderous war against the people of Ukraine.

The threat Iran poses to the United States and our allies is growing more and more entrenched. We need a policy response that is durable and shows that we are committed day in and day out to choking off any financial support to the Iranian malign activities.

Today, that is why the House is considering the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act, which would eliminate the upcoming 2026 sunset from the Iran Sanctions Act. We need to send Iran a clear and simple message: You cannot just wait out the sanctions. The sanctions will not expire on some arbitrary date. The only way to make the U.S. sanctions go away is to stop sanctionable conduct and not be a threat to the United States and our allies, period.

The fact that we are considering this bill under suspension of the rules is hugely important. It shows that eliminating this sunset is not controversial. Republicans and Democrats agree that we need durable, long-term pressure on Iran.

This bill passed out of the Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously, and I am grateful that it is being considered on the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on the Judiciary,

Washington, DC, July 17, 2023.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McCaul: I write regarding H.R. 3033, the

Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2023. Provisions of this bill

fall within the Judiciary Committee's Rule X jurisdiction,

and I appreciate that you consulted with us on those

provisions. The Judiciary Committee agrees that it shall be

discharged from further consideration of the bill so that it

may proceed expeditiously to the House floor.

The Committee takes this action with the understanding that

forgoing further consideration of this measure does not in

any way alter the Committee's jurisdiction or waive any

future jurisdictional claim over these provisions or their

subject matter. We also reserve the right to seek appointment

of an appropriate number of conferees in the event

of a conference with the Senate involving this measure or

similar legislation.

I ask that you please include this letter in your

committee's report to accompany this legislation or insert

this letter in the Congressional Record during consideration

of H.R. 3033 on the House floor. I appreciate the cooperative

manner in which our committees have worked on this matter,

and I look forward to working collaboratively in the future

on matters of shared jurisdiction. Thank you for your

attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jim Jordan,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Steel), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means and the author of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Madam Speaker, just 2 days ago, the world was sadly stunned by the Iranian unprecedented attack on the civilian population of Israel. The regime in Tehran is committed to threatening the United States and our ally Israel.

Iran is not going to voluntarily stop sponsoring the puppets that they have of Hezbollah, the Houthis, or Hamas. They are not going to give up their missiles and drones out of the goodness of their hearts. They are most certainly not going to stop their nuclear program. They truly do believe and chant in their parliament, in English: ``Death to Israel. Death to America.''

The Iran threat is wide-ranging and multifaceted, and the Iran Sanctions Act is a foundation of tools to combat it. We know this threat isn't going away anytime soon, so let's stop fooling ourselves that a sunset makes any sense on these provisions.

Madam Speaker, I am grateful to have the bipartisan support with Ranking Member Greg Meeks, working with Chairman Mike McCaul, and that we are here today.

I urge my colleagues to join in bringing our statutes in line with the strategic reality on the ground.

Madam Speaker, additionally, Representative Michelle Steel is to be appreciated. Even before the attacks took place, she brought this issue up to address the murderous conduct of the regime in Tehran.

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

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3033. For the past 26 years, Congress and the executive branch have worked together to put pressure on Iran's energy sector to deny Iran funds for implementing its nefarious nuclear program and state-sponsored terror activities.

The Iran Sanctions Act, or ISA, originally passed into law in 1996 and has been the key statutory element undergirding our sanctions infrastructure.

Since 1996, Congress has built upon this legislation multiple times and has expanded the list of transactions that are considered violations of the ISA. These sanctions, combined with sanctions on Iran's financial system and petroleum transactions, and together with aggressive diplomacy, are what drove Iran to the negotiating table to finalize the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The JCPOA effectively shut off every pathway to an Iranian nuclear weapon before it was unwisely torn down in 2018, leaving us in the dangerous position we are now in.

The ISA is the only major Iran sanctions statute that contains a sunset provision. In general, sunset provisions have value. They force Congress to re-evaluate and reconsider sanctions to adjust to new situations.

Therefore, we must all ask ourselves an important question: Under what circumstances can Congress envision the necessity of abandoning our sanctions infrastructure while this regime is in power? Even in the instance a new Iran deal is reached and successfully implemented, I believe we would want this sanctions infrastructure in place, just as it was under the JCPOA, so that Iran and the international community knows what awaits them if progress is not made.

Furthermore, if Congress loses this sanctions infrastructure, we will be ceding even more of our authority to the executive branch of government, who will solely rely on its executive powers to implement sanctions unbound by the program developed by the United States Congress.

This legislation sends an important message. It protects an important statute, and it serves the interests of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3033 reinforces our existing sanctions infrastructure, eliminating the sunset provision of the original Iran Sanctions Act of 1996.

Although I believe that sunset clauses are important, previous provisions in U.S. sanctions-related legislation compelling Congress to reassess sanctions, the ISA is the only major Iran-related sanctions statute with a sunset clause.

Even if the United States does manage to negotiate a new Iran deal to end Tehran's nuclear weapons program, the ISA is an important deterrent and reminder to Iran what awaits should they rescind the deal.

Additionally, losing the ISA at any point would only further cede more

power to the executive branch of government with its executive powers to implement sanctions.

Therefore, I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3033, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge passage of my bill, the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act.

The Iranian regime poses one of the greatest threats to peace throughout the Middle East and the world. They are a state sponsor of terrorism. The Houthis, who Iran backs, are terrorizing ships throughout the Red Sea. They are funding Hamas. They are a sworn enemy of America, and their number one goal is to destroy Israel.

Even more troubling, they are doing everything possible to build a nuclear weapon. Iran's deplorable attack on Israel demands consequences.

The Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 is set to expire in 2026. There should be no sunset date to stop funding for Iran-backed terrorism throughout the world. The Solidify Iran Sanctions Act does what it says, solidifies those sanctions, making them permanent.

The people of Israel, American soldiers, and innocent people throughout the Middle East should not live in fear of the Iranian regime and their terror. We must act now.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul and Congresswoman Susie Lee for their leadership and partnership on this important issue, and I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast my vote for Roll Call Votes Nos. 124 through 134. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Nay'' on Roll Call Vote No. 124, Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 1149; ``No'' on Roll Call Vote No. 125, H. Res. 1149; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 126, H.R. 6245; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 127, H.R. 6015; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 128, H.R. 5917; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 129, H.R. 4681; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 130, H.R. 6603; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 131, H.R. 5826; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 132, H.R. 3033; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 133, H. Res. 288; and ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 134, H. Res. 883.