On the recordOctober 25, 2017
The Department of the Treasury's interpretation of current law prohibits it from making public the names of plaintiffs. My amendment clarifies that these names, which this bill requires to be disclosed, will, in fact, be disclosed. In January 2016, it was reported that the United States agreed to pay $1.7 billion to Iran in a settlement arising from an agreement to sell military equipment to Iran prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution. At the time, it was known that $400 million in cash had been transferred to Iran, but it was unclear, even after public inquiry, how the remaining $1.3 billion had been paid. On August 22, 2016, the New York Sun reported that, while conducting an ongoing but fruitless search of ``Iran'' as a claimant in the Treasury database, it found 13 payments totaling 13 cents less than $1.3 billion, as well as an additional payment of just over $10 million. Without further context, however, the New York Sun could not confirm whether these payments were, in fact, part of the settlement. It was only after months of increased public scrutiny, long after the money had been disbursed, that the previous administration acknowledges that these payments were indeed part of the Iran settlement. My amendment will ensure that the public knows about the conduct of its government and the laws that are being faithfully executed and that justice is being served.…
