I claim the time in opposition to the amendment. The CHAIR. The gentleman from New York is recognized for 5 minutes.

And I rise in opposition to this bill. Let me start by underscoring my respect and admiration for our chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and my friend, Ed Royce. It is unusual that we debate a Foreign Affairs bill subject to a rule…

I have an amendment at the desk. The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Strike the text of the committee print and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as…

Let me say, first of all, on the face of it, the amendment makes sense. It is already U.S. policy not to pay ransom. On June 24, 2015, President Obama issued a directive: It is the United States' policy to deny hostage-takers the benefits…

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, in closing, let me say this: None of us likes the Government of Iran. None of us likes the idea of making payments to Iran, but this bill imposes a blanket ban on most forms of…

I have been an advocate for many years of increased production of flex-fuel and alternative fuel vehicles.

Aren't the standards working as proposed, even though my friend Mr. Barton wants to repeal the whole program?

I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating) for yielding to me. He is a very valued member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and, once again, he is doing excellent work with this bill, and Mr. Roskam as well. I am proud to be an…

I think everyone on this committee knows that.

I view Iran as a threat to global security. I opposed the nuclear deal.

I think we can do that.

My amendment is fairly straightforward and in my view goes to the core problem that has arisen from this Iran payment situation, which is Congress' oversight role.

How do we ensure that Congress learns about when this is going to happen before it happens?

I have no objection to the gentleman's amendment, but I would, again, say that while there may be objections to what the President did, he is not the first President to do it.

Let's be clear. It is the policy of this administration that the United States does not pay ransom for its citizens.

I think that hiding things from Congress is not acceptable.

Let us also be clear that using leverage when conducting diplomatic negotiations is a common and smart strategy.

There was no ransom payment, and this bill is an unfortunate attempt to play, in my opinion, politics with an issue.

I am willing to sit down and come up with compromises to do what we want to do.

I am pleased to hear that CMS is drawing upon lessons learned to reach Americans who remain uninsured.

I am not opposed to placing restrictions on...

The bill has one major aim: Stop payments from going to Iran in cash, physical bank notes.

When we work together on this committee, on these issues of critical importance, the country is stronger and the country is safer.

I have been extremely vocal about the need to crack down on Iran's dangerous behavior.

The administration has intentionally left us--that is, this committee--they have intentionally left us in the dark.