Political Quotes

“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?…”