Chuck Grassley: “if the Biden administration decides to allow a terrorist state access to billions of dollars, then, at a bare minimum…”

“if the Biden administration decides to allow a terrorist state access to billions of dollars, then, at a bare minimum, the Biden administration must perform exceedingly strict oversight of how that money is used. It is pretty simple, common sense requires considering the attendant risk that this money gives to Iran. The Biden administration has created a serious problem that needs strict oversight. More than all that, the Congress must also have the same regard of how the executive branch conducts its business in regard to these billions of dollars. Today, I have an on-point example to present to my colleagues. In September of this year, the administration's State Department provided Iran access to $6 billion as part of a prisoner swap agreement. Then, in mid-October, the United States and the Qatari Governments decided to refreeze these funds due to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. Hamas, an Iranian-funded terrorist organization, as we all know, attacked Israel and murdered civilians, seized hostages, and destroyed towns. Hamas committed unspeakable acts of terror and evil, not seen since the Nazis, toward Jewish people. On October 12 of this year, Secretary of State Blinken addressed the international media and, in that address, claimed that the State Department has ``strict oversight of the funds and retains the right to freeze them''--meaning freezing the $6 billion.…”