[House Document 116-73]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




116th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - House Document 116-73
 
BLOCKING PROPERTY AND SUSPENDING ENTRY OF CERTAIN PERSONS CONTRIBUTING 
                       TO THE SITUATION IN SYRIA

                               __________

                             COMMUNICATION

                                  from

                     THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

 AN EXECUTIVE ORDER BLOCKING PROPERTY AND SUSPENDING ENTRY OF CERTAIN 
 PERSONS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SITUATION IN SYRIA, PURSUANT TO 50 U.S.C. 
        1703(b); PUBLIC LAW 95-223 SEC. 204(b); (91 STAT. 1627)











              [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]












  October 15, 2019.--Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
                         ordered to be printed
                         
                         
                               __________

                      U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                      
99-011                     WASHINGTON : 2019 
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                                           The White House,
                                      Washington, October 14, 2019.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Madam Speaker: Pursuant to the International Emergency 
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby 
report that I have issued an Executive Order (the ``order'') 
declaring a national emergency due to the situation in and in 
relation to Syria, and in particular the recent actions by the 
Government of Turkey to conduct a military offensive into 
northeast Syria. I have taken this action because recent 
actions by the Government of Turkey undermine the campaign to 
defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, endangers 
civilians, and further threatens to undermine the peace, 
security, and stability in the region, and thereby constitute 
an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security 
and foreign policy of the United States. I have also announced 
that steel tariffs will be increased back up to 50 percent, the 
level prior to reduction in May.
    To deal with this threat, the order, consistent with law, 
blocks all property and interests in property, within the 
jurisdiction of the United States, of certain persons 
determined to be responsible for or complicit in actions or 
policies that contribute to this threat.
    The order also authorizes the Secretary of State, in 
consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and other 
officials of the United States government as appropriate, to 
impose sanctions upon persons determined to be responsible for 
or complicit in, have directly or indirectly engaged in, or 
attempted to engage in, or financed, various actions that 
contribute to this unusual and extraordinary threat. These 
actions include the obstruction, disruption, or prevention of a 
ceasefire in northern Syria and of efforts to promote a 
political solution to the conflict in Syria. Sanctions may 
affect various financial transactions, including government 
procurement contracts, foreign exchange transactions, 
investments, and importation of goods, technology, or services, 
as well as impose the denial of a visa and exclusion from the 
United States of the sanctioned person.
    To deal with this threat, and because the unrestricted 
immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of 
aliens subject to sanctions would be detrimental to the 
interests of the United States, the order also suspends the 
entry of such persons into the United States.
    The order authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
consultation with the Secretary of State, to take such actions, 
including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to 
employ all powers granted to me by IEEPA as may be necessary to 
carry out the purposes of this order.
    I am enclosing a copy of the order, as well as the press 
statement I issued earlier today.

            Sincerely,
                                                   Donald J. Trump.

                            Executive Order

                              ----------                              


Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Contributing 
                       to the Situation in Syria

    By the authority vested in me as President by the 
Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, 
including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 212(f) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 
of title 3, United States Code,
    I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of 
America, find that the situation in and in relation to Syria, 
and in particular the recent actions by the Government of 
Turkey to conduct a military offensive into northeast Syria, 
undermines the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and 
Syria, or ISIS, endangers civilians, and further threatens to 
undermine the peace, security, and stability in the region, and 
thereby constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the 
national security and foreign policy of the United States. I 
hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat. I 
hereby determine and order:
    Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that 
are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United 
States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or 
control of any United States person of the following persons 
are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, 
withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:
    (i) any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, 
in consultation with the Secretary of State:
          (A) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have 
        directly or indirectly engaged in, or attempted to 
        engage in, any of the following in or in relation to 
        Syria:
                  (1) actions or policies that further threaten 
                the peace, security, stability, or territorial 
                integrity of Syria; or
                  (2) the commission of serious human rights 
                abuse;
          (B) to be a current or former official of the 
        Government of Turkey;
          (C) to be any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality 
        of the Government of Turkey;
          (D) to operate in such sectors of the Turkish economy 
        as may be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, 
        in consultation with the Secretary of State;
          (E) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or 
        provided financial, material, or technological support 
        for, or goods or services to or in support of, any 
        person whose property and interests in property are 
        blocked pursuant to this order; or
          (F) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or 
        purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or 
        indirectly, any person whose property and interests in 
        property are blocked pursuant to this order.
    (b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section 
apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in 
regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued 
pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract 
entered into or any license or permit granted before the date 
of this order.
    Sec. 2. (a) The Secretary of State, in consultation with 
the Secretary of the Treasury and other officials of the U.S. 
Government as appropriate, is hereby authorized to impose on a 
foreign person any of the sanctions described in subsections 
(b) and (c) of this section, upon determining that the person, 
on or after the date of this order:
    (i) is responsible for or complicit in, has directly or 
indirectly engaged in, or attempted to engage in, or financed, 
any of the following:
          (A) the obstruction, disruption, or prevention of a 
        ceasefire in northern Syria;
          (B) the intimidation or prevention of displaced 
        persons from voluntarily returning to their places of 
        residence in Syria;
          (C) the forcible repatriation of persons or refugees 
        to Syria; or
          (D) the obstruction, disruption, or prevention of 
        efforts to promote a political solution to the conflict 
        in Syria, including:
                  (1) the convening and conduct of a credible 
                and inclusive Syrian-led constitutional process 
                under the auspices of the United Nations (UN);
                  (2) the preparation for and conduct of UN-
                supervised elections, pursuant to the new 
                constitution, that are free and fair and to the 
                highest international standards of transparency 
                and accountability; or
                  (3) the development of a new Syrian 
                government that is representative and reflects 
                the will of the Syrian people;
    (ii) is an adult family member of a person designated under 
subsection (a)(i) of this section; or
    (iii) is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly 
or indirectly engaged in, or attempted to engage in, the 
expropriation of property, including real property, for 
personal gain or political purposes in Syria.
    (b) When the Secretary of State, in accordance with the 
terms of subsection (a) of this section, has determined that a 
person meets any of the criteria described in that subsection 
and has selected one or more of the sanctions set forth below 
to impose on that person, the heads of relevant departments and 
agencies, in consultation with the Secretary of State, as 
appropriate, shall ensure that the following actions are taken 
where necessary to implement the sanctions selected by the 
Secretary of State:
    (i) agencies shall not procure, or enter into a contract 
for the procurement of, any goods or services from the 
sanctioned person; or
    (ii) the Secretary of State shall direct the denial of a 
visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall exclude 
from the United States, any alien that the Secretary of State 
determines is a corporate officer or principal of, or a 
shareholder with a controlling interest in, a sanctioned 
person.
    (c) When the Secretary of State, in accordance with the 
terms of subsection (a) of this section, has determined that a 
person meets any of the criteria described in that subsection 
and has selected one or more of the sanctions set forth below 
to impose on that person, the Secretary of the Treasury, in 
consultation with the Secretary of State, shall take the 
following actions where necessary to implement the sanctions 
selected by the Secretary of State:
    (i) prohibit any United States financial institution that 
is a U.S. person from making loans or providing credits to the 
sanctioned person totaling more than $10,000,000 in any 12-
month period, unless such person is engaged in activities to 
relieve human suffering and the loans or credits are provided 
for such activities;
    (ii) prohibit any transactions in foreign exchange that are 
subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and in which 
the sanctioned person has any interest;
    (iii) prohibit any transfers of credit or payments between 
banking institutions or by, through, or to any banking 
institution, to the extent that such transfers or payments are 
subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and involve 
any interest of the sanctioned person;
    (iv) block all property and interests in property that are 
in the United States, that hereafter come within the United 
States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or 
control of any United States person of the sanctioned person, 
and provide that such property and interests in property may 
not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise 
dealt in;
    (v) prohibit any United States person from investing in or 
purchasing significant amounts of equity or debt instruments of 
the sanctioned person;
    (vi) restrict or prohibit imports of goods, technology, or 
services, directly or indirectly, into the United States from 
the sanctioned person; or
    (vii) impose on the principal executive officer or 
officers, or persons performing similar functions and with 
similar authorities, of the sanctioned person the sanctions 
described in subsections (c)(i)-(c)(vi) of this section, as 
selected by the Secretary of State.
    (d) The prohibitions in subsections (b) and (c) of this 
section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in 
regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued 
pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract 
entered into or any license or permit granted before the date 
of this order.
    Sec. 3. (a) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 
with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to impose on 
a foreign financial institution the sanctions described in 
subsection (b) of this section upon determining that the 
foreign financial institution knowingly conducted or 
facilitated any significant financial transaction for or on 
behalf of any person whose property and interests in property 
are blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order.
    (b) With respect to any foreign financial institution 
determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in accordance with 
this section, to meet the criteria set forth in subsection (a) 
of this section, the Secretary of the Treasury may prohibit the 
opening, and prohibit or impose strict conditions on the 
maintaining, in the United States of a correspondent account or 
a payable-through account by such foreign financial 
institution.
    (c) The prohibitions in subsection (b) of this section 
apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in 
regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued 
pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract 
entered into or any license or permit granted before the date 
of this order.
    Sec. 4. The unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry 
into the United States of aliens determined to meet one or More 
of the criteria in subsection 1(a) or 2(a) of this order, or 
aliens for which the sanctions under subsection 2(b)(ii) have 
been selected, would be detrimental to the interests of the 
United States, and the entry of such persons into the United 
States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, is hereby suspended, 
except where the Secretary of State determines that the entry 
of the person into the United States would not be contrary to 
the interests of the United States, including when the 
Secretary so determines, based on a recommendation of the 
Attorney General, that the person's entry would further 
important United States law enforcement objectives. In 
exercising this responsibility, the Secretary of State shall 
consult the Secretary of Homeland Security on matters related 
to admissibility or inadmissibility within the authority of the 
Secretary of Homeland Security. Such persons shall be treated 
in the same manner as persons covered by section 1 of 
Proclamation 8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of 
Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council Travel Bans 
and International Emergency Economic Powers Act Sanctions). The 
Secretary of State shall have the responsibility for 
implementing this section pursuant to such conditions and 
procedures as the Secretary has established or may establish 
pursuant to Proclamation 8693.
    Sec. 5. I hereby determine that the making of donations of 
the types of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA 
(50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person 
whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant 
to section 1 of this order would seriously impair my ability to 
deal with the national emergency declared in this order, and I 
hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this 
order.
    Sec. 6. The prohibitions in sections 1 and 2 of this order 
include:
    (a) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, 
goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person 
whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant 
to this order; and
    (b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, 
goods, or services from any such person.
    Sec. 7. (a) Any transaction that evades or avoids, has the 
purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or 
attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this 
order is prohibited.
    (b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the 
prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
    Sec. 8. For the purposes of this order:
    (a) The term ``entity'' means a partnership, association, 
trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other 
organization;
    (b) the term ``foreign financial institution'' means any 
foreign entity that is engaged in the business of accepting 
deposits, making, granting, transferring, holding, or brokering 
loans or credits, or purchasing or selling foreign exchange, 
securities, commodity futures or options, or procuring 
purchasers and sellers thereof, as principal or agent. The term 
includes depository institutions, banks, savings banks, money 
service businesses, trust companies, securities brokers and 
dealers, commodity futures and options brokers and dealers, 
forward contract and foreign exchange merchants, securities and 
commodities exchanges, clearing corporations, investment 
companies, employee benefit plans, dealers in precious metals, 
stones, or jewels, and holding companies, affiliates, or 
subsidiaries of any of the foregoing. The term does not include 
the international financial institutions identified in 22 
U.S.C. 262r(c)(2), the International Fund for Agricultural 
Development, the North American Development Bank, or any other 
international financial institution so notified by the 
Secretary of the Treasury;
    (c) the term ``knowingly,'' with respect to conduct, a 
circumstance, or a result, means that a person has actual 
knowledge, or should have known, of the conduct, the 
circumstance, or the result;
    (d) the term ``person'' means an individual or entity;
    (e) the term ``United States person'' or ``U.S. person'' 
means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, 
entity organized under the laws of the United States or any 
jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign 
branches), or any person in the United States; and
    (f) the term ``Government of Turkey'' means the Government 
of Turkey, any political subdivision, agency, or 
instrumentality thereof, or any person owned or controlled by 
or acting for or on behalf of the Government of Turkey.
    Sec. 9. For those persons whose property and interests in 
property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a 
constitutional presence in the United States, I find that 
because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets 
instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be 
taken pursuant to this order would render those measures 
ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to 
be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in 
this order, there need be no prior notice of a listing or 
determination made pursuant to this order.
    Sec. 10. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 
with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such 
actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, 
and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as 
may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The 
Secretary of the Treasury may, consistent with applicable law, 
redelegate any of these functions within the Department of the 
Treasury. All departments and agencies of the United States 
shall take all appropriate measures within their authority to 
implement this order.
    Sec. 11. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 
with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to submit the 
recurring and final reports to the Congress on the national 
emergency declared in this order, consistent with section 
401(c) of the NEA (50 U.S.C. 1641(c)), and section 204(c) of 
IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1703(c)).
    Sec. 12. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to 
impair or otherwise affect:
    (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department 
or agency, or the head thereof; or
    (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or 
legislative proposals.
    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
applicable law and subject to the availability of 
appropriations.
    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any 
right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law 
or in equity by any party against the United States, its 
departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or 
agents, or any other person.

                                                   Donald J. Trump.
    The White House, October 14, 2019.

Statement From President Donald J. Trump Regarding Turkey's Actions in 
                            Northeast Syria

                           [October 14, 2019]

    I will soon be issuing an Executive Order authorizing the 
imposition of sanctions against current and former officials of 
the Government of Turkey and any persons contributing to 
Turkey's destabilizing actions in northeast Syria. Likewise, 
the steel tariffs will be increased back up to 50 percent, the 
level prior to reduction in May. The United States will also 
immediately stop negotiations, being led by the Department of 
Commerce, with respect to a $100 billion trade deal with 
Turkey.
    This Order will enable the United States to impose powerful 
additional sanctions on those who may be involved in serious 
human rights abuses, obstructing a ceasefire, preventing 
displaced persons from returning home, forcibly repatriating 
refugees, or threatening the peace, security, or stability in 
Syria. The Order will authorize a broad range of consequences, 
including financial sanctions, the blocking of property, and 
barring entry into the United States.
    Since my first day in office, the Trump Administration has 
worked tirelessly to preserve the safety and security of the 
United States and its citizens. The United States and our 
partners have liberated 100 percent of ISIS's ruthless 
territorial caliphate. Turkey must not put these gains in 
jeopardy. Turkey must also prioritize the protection of 
civilians, particularly vulnerable ethnic and religious 
minorities in northeast Syria. Indiscriminate targeting of 
civilians, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and 
targeting of ethnic or religious minorities is unacceptable. 
Additionally, the return of refugees must be conducted in a 
safe, voluntary, and dignified manner.
    Turkey's military offensive is endangering civilians, and 
threatening peace, security, and stability in the region. I 
have been perfectly clear with President Erdogan: Turkey's 
action is precipitating a humanitarian crisis and setting 
conditions for possible war crimes. Turkey must ensure the 
safety of civilians, including religious and ethnic minorities, 
and is now, or may be in the future, responsible for the 
ongoing detention of ISIS terrorists in the region. 
Unfortunately, Turkey does not appear to be mitigating the 
humanitarian effects of its invasion.
    As I have said, I am withdrawing the remaining United 
States service members from northeast Syria. As United States 
forces have defeated the ISIS physical caliphate, United States 
troops coming out of Syria will now redeploy and remain in the 
region to monitor the situation and prevent a repeat of 2014, 
when the neglected threat of ISIS raged across Syria and Iraq. 
A small footprint of United States forces will remain at At 
Tanf Garrison in southern Syria to continue to disrupt remnants 
of ISIS.
    The United States will aggressively use economic sanctions 
to target those who enable, facilitate, and finance these 
heinous acts in Syria. I am fully prepared to swiftly destroy 
Turkey's economy if Turkish leaders continue down this 
dangerous and destructive path.

                                  [all]