Ed Royce: “Again, I thank Mr. Eliot Engel of New York for this legislation. The ancient cities now facing destruction at the hands…”

“Again, I thank Mr. Eliot Engel of New York for this legislation. The ancient cities now facing destruction at the hands of ISIS are considered the birthplace of modern civilization. As we stand here on the floor of the House, we see behind us the relief of the great lawgivers. First, there is Moses. Next to him is Hammurabi for Hammurabi's Code, the great lawgivers and heroes of liberty. We think about the fact that, in this part of the world, these antiquities are now in the hands of ISIS. As one expert told the Financial Services Committee's Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing last week, this is where the Acadian King Hammurabi ruled at the beginning of the second millennium BC and where the Hebrew prophet Jonah preached successfully repentance to the Assyrian Ninevites 1,000 years later. Now, in 2015, ISIS has as many as 4,500 cultural sites under its control. A raid carried out last year by U.S. Special Forces revealed that ISIS has invested heavily in the looting and smuggling of antiquities in the region as they cut up antiquities and then try to trade them for hard currency. The legislation before us today is an important step toward curbing this illicit trade and limiting funding to these terrorists.…”