[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5189-H5193]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HAMAS AND OTHER PALESTINIAN TERRORIST GROUPS INTERNATIONAL FINANCING 
                             PREVENTION ACT

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 340) to impose sanctions with respect to foreign support for 
terrorist organizations, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic 
Jihad, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 340

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Hamas and Other Palestinian 
     Terrorist Groups International Financing Prevention Act''.

     SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It shall be the policy of the United States--
       (1) to prevent Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa 
     Martyrs Brigade, the Lion's Den, or any affiliate or 
     successor thereof from accessing its international support 
     networks; and
       (2) to oppose Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa 
     Martyrs Brigade, the Lion's Den, or any affiliate or 
     successor thereof from using goods, including medicine and 
     dual use items, to smuggle weapons and other materials to 
     further acts of terrorism, including against Israel.

     SEC. 3. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN 
                   PERSONS SUPPORTING ACTS OF TERRORISM OR 
                   ENGAGING IN SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTIONS WITH 
                   SENIOR MEMBERS OF HAMAS, PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC 
                   JIHAD AND OTHER PALESTINIAN TERRORIST 
                   ORGANIZATIONS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the President shall impose the 
     sanctions described in subsection (c) with respect to each 
     foreign person that the President determines, on or after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, engages in an activity 
     described in subsection (b).
       (b) Activities Described.--A foreign person engages in an 
     activity described in this subsection if the foreign person 
     knowingly--
       (1) assists in sponsoring or providing significant 
     financial, material, or technological support for, or goods 
     or other services to enable, acts of terrorism; or
       (2) engages, directly or indirectly, in a significant 
     transaction with--
       (A) a senior member of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, 
     Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Lion's Den, or any affiliate or 
     successor thereof; or
       (B) a senior member of a foreign terrorist organization 
     designated pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189) that is responsible for 
     providing, directly or indirectly, support to Hamas, 
     Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the 
     Lion's Den, or any affiliate or successor thereof.
       (c) Sanctions Described.--The President shall exercise all 
     of the powers granted to the President under the 
     International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 
     et seq.) to the extent necessary to block and prohibit all 
     transactions in property and interests in property of a 
     foreign person described in subsection (a) if such property 
     and interests in property are in the United States, come 
     within the United States, or are or come within the 
     possession or control of a United States person.

[[Page H5190]]

       (d) Penalties.--The penalties provided for in subsections 
     (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency 
     Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person 
     that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 
     causes a violation of this section or any regulations 
     promulgated to carry out this section to the same extent that 
     such penalties apply to a person that commits an unlawful act 
     described in section 206(a) of that Act.
       (e) Implementation; Regulations.--
       (1) In general.--The President may exercise all authorities 
     provided under sections 203 and 205 of the International 
     Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) for 
     purposes of carrying out this section.
       (2) Regulations.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the President shall issue 
     regulations or other guidance as may be necessary for the 
     implementation of this section.
       (f) Waiver.--The President may waive, on a case-by-case 
     basis and for a period of not more than 180 days, the 
     application of sanctions under this section with respect to a 
     foreign person only if, not later than 15 days prior to the 
     date on which the waiver is to take effect, the President 
     submits to the appropriate congressional committees a written 
     determination and justification that the waiver is in the 
     vital national security interests of the United States.
       (g) Humanitarian Exemption.--The President may waive the 
     application of any provision of this section if the President 
     certifies in writing to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that such a waiver is vital to facilitate the 
     delivery of humanitarian aid and is consistent with the 
     national security interests of the United States 15 days 
     prior to the waiver taking effect.
       (h) Rule of Construction.--The authority to impose 
     sanctions under this section with respect to a foreign person 
     is in addition to the authority to impose sanctions under any 
     other provision of law with respect to a foreign person that 
     directly or indirectly supports acts of international 
     terrorism.

     SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF MEASURES WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN STATES 
                   PROVIDING SUPPORT TO HAMAS, PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC 
                   JIHAD AND OTHER PALESTINIAN TERRORIST 
                   ORGANIZATIONS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the President shall impose the 
     measures described in subsection (c) with respect to a 
     foreign state if the President determines that the foreign 
     state, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
     engages in an activity described in subsection (b).
       (b) Activities Described.--A foreign state engages in an 
     activity described in this subsection if the foreign state 
     knowingly--
       (1) provides significant material or financial support for 
     acts of international terrorism, pursuant to--
       (A) section 1754(c) of the Export Control Reform Act of 
     2018 (50 U.S.C. 4813(c)(1)(A));
       (B) section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
     U.S.C. 2371);
       (C) section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2780); or
       (D) any other provision of law;
       (2) provides significant material support to Hamas, the 
     Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the 
     Lion's Den, or any affiliate or successor thereof; or
       (3) engages in a significant transaction that materially 
     contributes, directly or indirectly, to the terrorist 
     activities of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa 
     Martyrs Brigade, the Lion's Den, or any affiliate or 
     successor thereof.
       (c) Measures Described.--The measures described in this 
     subsection with respect to a foreign state are the following:
       (1) The President shall suspend, for a period of at least 1 
     year, United States assistance to the foreign state.
       (2) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United 
     States Executive Director to each appropriate international 
     financial institution to oppose, and vote against, for a 
     period of 1 year, the extension by such institution of any 
     loan or financial or technical assistance to the government 
     of the foreign state.
       (3) The President shall prohibit the export of any item on 
     the United States Munitions List (established pursuant to 
     section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778)) 
     or the Commerce Control List set forth in Supplement No. 1 to 
     part 774 of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, to the 
     foreign state for a period of 1 year.
       (d) Penalties.--The penalties provided for in subsections 
     (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency 
     Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person 
     that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or 
     causes a violation of this section or any regulations 
     promulgated to carry out this section to the same extent that 
     such penalties apply to a person that commits an unlawful act 
     described in section 206(a) of that Act.
       (e) Waiver.--The President may waive, on a case-by-case 
     basis and for a period of not more than 180 days, the 
     application of measures under this section with respect to a 
     foreign state only if, not later than 15 days prior to the 
     date on which the waiver is to take effect, the President 
     submits to the appropriate congressional committees a written 
     determination and justification that the waiver is in the 
     vital national security interests of the United States.
       (f) Implementation; Regulations.--
       (1) In general.--The President may exercise all authorities 
     provided under sections 203 and 205 of the International 
     Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) for 
     purposes of carrying out this section.
       (2) Regulations.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the President shall issue 
     regulations or other guidance as may be necessary for the 
     implementation of this section.
       (g) Additional Exemptions.--
       (1) Status of forces agreements.--The President may exempt 
     the application of measures under this section with respect 
     to a foreign state if the application of such measures would 
     prevent the United States from meeting the terms of any 
     status of forces agreement to which the United States is a 
     party.
       (2) Authorized intelligence activities.--Measures under 
     this section shall not apply with respect to any activity 
     subject to the reporting requirements under title V of the 
     National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et seq.) or any 
     authorized intelligence activities of the United States.
       (3) Humanitarian exemption.--The President may waive the 
     application of any provision of this section if the President 
     certifies in writing to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that such a waiver is vital to facilitate the 
     delivery of humanitarian aid and is consistent with the 
     national security interests of the United States 15 days 
     prior to the waiver taking effect.
       (h) Rule of Construction.--The authority to impose measures 
     under this section with respect to a foreign state is in 
     addition to the authority to impose measures under any other 
     provision of law with respect to foreign states that directly 
     or indirectly support acts of international terrorism.

     SEC. 5. REPORTS ON ACTIVITIES TO DISRUPT GLOBAL FUNDRAISING, 
                   FINANCING, AND MONEY LAUNDERING ACTIVITIES OF 
                   HAMAS, PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD, AL-AQSA 
                   MARTYRS BRIGADE, THE LION'S DEN OR ANY 
                   AFFILIATE OR SUCCESSOR THEREOF.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the 
     President shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees a report that includes--
       (1) an assessment of the disposition of the assets and 
     activities of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa 
     Martyrs Brigade, the Lion's Den, or any affiliate or 
     successor thereof related to fundraising, financing, and 
     money laundering worldwide;
       (2) a list of foreign states that knowingly providing 
     material, financial, or technical support for, or goods or 
     services to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa 
     Martyrs Brigade, the Lion's Den, or any affiliate or 
     successor thereof;
       (3) a list of foreign states in which Hamas, the 
     Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the 
     Lion's Den, or any affiliate or successor thereof conducts 
     significant fundraising, financing, or money laundering 
     activities;
       (4) a list of foreign states from which Hamas, the 
     Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the 
     Lion's Den, or any affiliate or successor thereof knowingly 
     engaged in the transfer of surveillance equipment, electronic 
     monitoring equipment, or other means to inhibit communication 
     or the free flow of information in Gaza; and
       (5) with respect to each foreign state listed in paragraph 
     (2), (3), or (4)--
       (A) a description of the steps the foreign state identified 
     is taking adequate measures to restrict financial flows to 
     Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs 
     Brigade, the Lion's Den, or any affiliates or successors 
     thereof; and
       (B) in the case of a foreign state failing to take adequate 
     measures to restrict financial flows to Hamas, Palestinian 
     Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the Lion's Den or any 
     other designated entity engaged in significant act of 
     terrorism threatening the peace and security of Israel--
       (i) an assessment of the reasons that government is not 
     taking adequate measures to restrict financial flows to those 
     entities; and
       (ii) a description of measures being taken by the United 
     States Government to encourage the foreign state to restrict 
     financial flows to those entities; and
       (b) Form.--Each report required by subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form to the greatest extent 
     possible, and may contain a classified annex.

     SEC. 6. EXCEPTION RELATING TO IMPORTATION OF GOODS.

       (a) In General.--The authorities and requirements to impose 
     sanctions authorized under this Act shall not include the 
     authority or requirement to impose sanctions on the 
     importation of goods.
       (b) Good Defined.--In this section, the term ``good'' means 
     any article, natural or man-made substance, material, supply 
     or manufactured product, including inspection and test 
     equipment, and excluding technical data.

     SEC. 7. TERMINATION.

       This Act shall terminate on the earlier of--
       (1) the date that is 7 years after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act; or
       (2) the date that is 30 days after the date on which the 
     President certifies to the appropriate congressional 
     committees that--
       (A) Hamas or any successor or affiliate thereof is no 
     longer designated as a foreign terrorist organization 
     pursuant to section

[[Page H5191]]

     219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189);
       (B) Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs 
     Brigade, the Lion's Den, and any successor or affiliate 
     thereof are no longer subject to sanctions pursuant to--
       (i) Executive Order No. 12947 (January 23, 1995; relating 
     to prohibiting transactions with terrorists who threaten to 
     disrupt the Middle East peace process); and
       (ii) Executive Order No. 13224 (September 23, 2001; 
     relating to blocking property and prohibiting transactions 
     with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support 
     terrorism); and
       (C) Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Al-Aqsa Martyrs 
     Brigade, the Lion's Den, and any successor or affiliate 
     thereof meet the criteria described in paragraphs (1) through 
     (4) of section 9 of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 
     2006 (22 U.S.C. 2378b note).

     SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Act of terrorism.--The term ``act of terrorism'' means 
     an activity that--
       (A) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human 
     life, property, or infrastructure; and
       (B) appears to be intended to--
       (i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
       (ii) influence the policy of a government by intimidation 
     or coercion; or
       (iii) affect the conduct of a government by mass 
     destruction, assassination, kidnapping, or hostage-taking.
       (2) Admitted.--The term ``admitted'' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 101(a)(13)(A) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(13)(A)).
       (3) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Financial Services of the House of Representatives; and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.
       (4) Foreign state.--The term ``foreign state'' has the 
     meaning given such term in section 1603 of title 28, United 
     States Code.
       (5) Humanitarian aid.--The term ``humanitarian aid'' means 
     food, medicine, and medical supplies.
       (6) Material support.--The term ``material support'' has 
     the meaning given the term ``material support or resources'' 
     in section 2339A of title 18, United States Code.
       (7) United states person.--The term ``United States 
     person'' means--
       (A) a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted 
     for permanent residence to the United States; or
       (B) an entity organized under the laws of the United States 
     or of any jurisdiction within the United States, including a 
     foreign branch of such an entity.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. McCaul) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on October 7, over 2,000 Hamas terrorists invaded Israel 
and brutally murdered over 1,400 people. The images from these gruesome 
attacks will haunt us all for eternity.
  There were beheadings, families were burned alive, and women were 
raped and slaughtered, one of whom was dragged through the streets of 
Gaza.
  I was in one of the kibbutzim right on the border of Gaza last year 
meeting with members of the community. I saw their daycare center and 
the children who were there. That very same kibbutz, Mr. Speaker, was 
overrun by 70 Hamas terrorists. Many of the residents whom I met were 
slaughtered, but most viciously, the babies and the children I visited 
in the daycare center were slaughtered, shot to death, beheaded, and 
burned alive. Reports are that a pregnant woman was forced to watch as 
they cut her baby out of her womb, killing her child before they killed 
her.

                              {time}  1430

  On December 7, 1941, in response to the bombing at Pearl Harbor, 
President Roosevelt said it was ``a date which will live in infamy.'' 
So, too, will October 7, 2023.
  The United States must stand resolute and use every tool at our 
disposal to support our friend and ally, Israel. Israel has been pulled 
into a war with the Iran-backed terrorist Hamas and the Palestinian 
Islamic jihad, who have launched more than 8,000 rockets at Israel 
since this war started.
  We know that Iran has historically provided around $100 million a 
year in support to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic jihad, and other 
Palestinian terrorist groups. Hamas also generates hundreds of millions 
of dollars every year from its secret international investment 
portfolio. These accounts help fund Hamas' terrorist infrastructure. 
They pay for its elaborate 500-mile tunnel network--500 miles of 
tunnel--and for the rockets being fired into Israel.
  This bill takes aim at Iran's support for Hamas and makes it clear 
that banks cannot facilitate the toxic relationship between the largest 
state sponsor of terror and its proxies. Unfortunately, the media seems 
to have forgotten that for years Hamas has profited off innocent 
people, prioritizing rocket production over supporting the basic needs 
of their own people, exacerbating suffering.
  I thank my colleague, Mr. Mast, who also served in the IDF with 
distinction, for introducing this important piece of legislation. We 
need every tool at our disposal to restrict Hamas and other Palestinian 
terrorists' access to financing and hold the countries enabling them to 
account.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                 Washington, DC, February 9, 2023.
     Hon. Patrick McHenry,
     Chairman, Committee on Financial Services,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman McHenry: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from 
     further consideration of H.R. 340, the Hamas International 
     Financing Prevention Act, so that the measure may proceed 
     expeditiously to the House floor.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of 
     your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives 
     on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would 
     support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate 
     number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate 
     conference on this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 340 into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration. I appreciate 
     your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward 
     to continuing to work together as this measure moves through 
     the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
     Michael T. McCaul,
       Chairman.

  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 340, and I 
yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Since its inception, Hamas has been a military and political entity 
dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
  Rather than addressing the needs of the Palestinian people, Hamas has 
furthered their suffering and has destabilized the Gaza Strip. Rather 
than building schools, industries, and public infrastructure to lift up 
their own people, Hamas has built a terrorist army and a network of 
sophisticated attack tunnels to destroy Israel and kill Jews. The group 
has terrorized its people rather than govern, using Palestinian 
civilians as human shields and has terrorized its own population and 
that of Israel.
  Since 2007, when Hamas violently seized governing control of the Gaza 
Strip, it has launched tens of thousands of rockets targeting Israeli 
cities and towns from hospitals, schools, and Palestinian neighborhoods 
in Gaza. It has conducted countless terrorist attacks, engaged in 
hostage taking, and tortured its own, the Palestinian people.
  The State Department first designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist 
organization in 1997. The EU and other Western countries have done the 
same. Passage of this legislation today will provide more tools for 
this and future administrations to hold Hamas accountable for its 
terrorism and brutality.
  While Hamas leaders don't have financial assets in the U.S., new 
sanctions have been unveiled by the Biden administration in recent days 
that will increase pressure on some of the countries that host them. 
With this legislation before us, the United States will now be able to 
penalize third parties who provide assistance to Hamas.
  While we desire to put more pressure on Hamas, we want to make 
certain

[[Page H5192]]

that American and partner NGOs and governments are still able to assist 
the people of Gaza and their humanitarian needs. The waiver present in 
this legislation, while strict, will allow that assistance to continue.
  Hamas' reign of terror must end. It is our only chance at a lasting 
peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Mast), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Accountability and the author of this bill.
  Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and the submariner up 
front. That is a special kind of service, no doubt about it. I thank 
the chairman for his work on this legislation, for helping to bring it 
to the floor, and for his work in helping to make sure that in this 
body when those of us who are in here say never again in support of 
Israel and the Jewish state, that it is something that we are doing 
everything possible to make sure that never again is the truth.
  You might ask what can this bill do in support of never again, and 
why. The ``why'' on it is very simple because October 7 didn't happen 
for free. October 7 didn't happen without planning. October 7 didn't 
happen without delivery of arms from multiple nations. October 7 didn't 
happen without the intelligence from multiple nations, nongovernment 
organizations, and individuals. This happened as a result of a great 
deal of all of the above.
  This bill is specifically about sanctions, about making sure that we 
can get to the individuals, the states, the government agencies, the 
nongovernment agencies, or the companies that enabled October 7 to 
happen. It is about making sure that we cut off the material support, 
whether that is money or equipment or something that we might label 
here in Washington as a dual-use item, from making it to the Gaza Strip 
or the West Bank or into the hands of Hezbollah or somewhere else; from 
making sure that we cut off the technological support, whether it is 
intelligence or, literally, software or hardware or arms of propaganda; 
whether we are cutting off the financial support, the terror financing, 
the transactions, those that are engaging with the literal perpetrators 
of terrorism, doing it by blocking and freezing assets and funds, 
providing travel restrictions, export restrictions, and financial 
sanctions so that they can't use our banks or financial institutions. 
The list goes on.
  That is the work that has to be done within these walls to make sure 
that we can say never again. That is the work that we can do in here to 
make sure that October 7 doesn't happen again, and it is the work that 
we have to do in passing this bill to make sure that we do everything 
possible to prevent the kind of terrorism, the barbaric acts that the 
chairman spoke so eloquently and so vividly about.
  It is in that vein that I ask my colleagues to rise in support of 
this bill. Join us, vote unanimously in support of this bill.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Manning), my dear friend and the vice ranking 
member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak in support of H.R. 340, 
the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act, a bipartisan bill 
introduced by Representatives Brian Mast and Josh Gottheimer to impose 
sanctions on the terrorist group Hamas.
  On October 7, we woke in horror to find Hamas' brutal and despicable 
terrorist attacks, firing rockets at innocent civilians, storming the 
Israeli border, invading Israel, going house to house, murdering 
babies, executing parents in front of their children, massacring 260 
young people at a music festival. Hamas killed 31 U.S. citizens and 
more than 1,400 Israelis while taking hundreds of innocent people 
hostage in Gaza, including babies and toddlers.
  Hamas terrorists are not militants. They are not freedom fighters. 
They are not a civil resistance movement. They are a brutal foreign 
terrorist organization which is dedicated to the destruction of Israel 
and the murder of Jews.
  It is no secret that this is their goal. It is plainly stated in 
Hamas' founding charter. It is also important to recognize that Hamas 
has no regard for the lives of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, 
the very people they rule over, who suffer under Hamas. Let there be no 
mistake. Hamas bears responsibility for their pain as well.

  All countries around the world should join the U.S. in demanding 
Hamas immediately release all the hostages currently held in Gaza. I am 
grateful that the Biden administration has imposed additional sanctions 
on senior Hamas officials and their financial backers. We need to 
continue to bring pressure to bear on Hamas and cut off their flow of 
resources.
  That is why this legislation would impose sanctions on foreign 
entities that provide material and financial support to Hamas and 
Islamic jihad, while also providing for important humanitarian 
exemptions.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill, and I 
urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting it.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Castro), an esteemed member of our Foreign Affairs Committee 
and the ranking member on the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee.
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 340. I 
unequivocally condemn Hamas' attack on Israel, which resulted in the 
deaths of over 1,400 innocent people and the kidnapping of hundreds of 
hostages, including American citizens.
  The United States has rightly designated Hamas as a terrorist 
organization since 1997, and I have fully supported sanctions on Hamas 
when they have come before the House in the past. However, there is a 
distinction between Hamas and the innocent Palestinians it holds 
captive in Gaza, and we must legislate with that understanding. Our 
efforts to hold Hamas accountable must not come at the expense of those 
innocent civilians.
  As originally written, this bill included a broad humanitarian 
exemption that would have protected the provision of food, medicine, 
and other lifesaving supplies into Gaza. The State Department and the 
Treasury both supported that exemption, which aligned with the Biden 
administration's goals to weaken Hamas without causing undue civilian 
suffering and deaths.
  Unfortunately, the primary sponsor of H.R. 340 offered an amendment 
during committee markup that removed that exemption, replacing it with 
a case-by-case waiver that will impede the delivery of humanitarian aid 
into Gaza.
  At times here, we need to speculate about the motivations behind 
specific legislation and legislative decisions. In this case, however, 
it is part of the committee record. The bill's sponsor said that he 
believes ``any assistance should be slowed down'' and argued that no 
one can distinguish between innocent Palestinians and Hamas.
  The situation in Gaza is incredibly dire and becoming more so by the 
day, which is why President Biden has worked to secure the delivery of 
humanitarian assistance to Gaza and requested funding to support those 
efforts. The decision to intentionally remove this provision was a 
choice to hurt people in Gaza who are not responsible for this 
conflict.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, if the humanitarian exemption that 
was originally in this bill was restored, I would fully support H.R. 
340, but I cannot in good faith support a bill that amounts to 
intentional collective punishment against the people of Gaza, nearly 
half of whom are children. For this reason, I urge the House to vote 
``no.''
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Hill), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul, and I certainly thank 
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) for offering this important bill, 
H.R. 340, the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act.
  In addition to my work on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I serve on 
the

[[Page H5193]]

House Financial Services Committee. Over the years that I have been in 
Congress, I have been on the Task Force to Investigate Terrorism 
Financing and the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance. Today, 
once again, we come to this House floor to tackle a new form of illicit 
finance.
  It was shocking to a lot of people in America to read in The Wall 
Street Journal that Hamas is now using digital assets in order to raise 
funds and move money around. Just as we tackle illicit charitable use, 
illicit cash use, illicit bank use, this committee is dedicated to 
tackling this new form of escaping our anti-money laundering Bank 
Secrecy Act laws in order to fund terror.

                              {time}  1445

  I expect all of my colleagues to be together, working together to 
pass this bill and, in fact, standing up against this new form of 
terror finance by using digital assets.
  We look forward to working on that issue in both the Financial 
Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I 
congratulate the gentleman from Florida for his leadership.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Mast).
  Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I will address some of the comments that were 
brought up about the bill and exemptions, and exemptions that do not 
exist. I think it is important to recognize there are some exemptions. 
There are exemptions for food and medicine.
  Those exemptions exist, but there are not exemptions for pieces of 
equipment that might be considered dual-use items that were used to 
knock over the barricades, the fences, and the barriers that were 
preventing the Palestinian terrorists from making it into Israel.
  There are not exemptions to allow those kinds of pieces of equipment 
that might come in under agricultural exemptions in this bill. Why? 
Because they can be dual-use items. That is a reason to not have them.
  When we look at this as a whole, I encourage the other side to not so 
lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as is 
frequently said. I don't think we would so lightly throw around the 
term ``innocent Nazi civilians'' during World War II.
  We are going to speak later about a bill related to Palestinian 
education and the fact that in their schools, schools run by the 
Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, not Palestinian Islamic Jihad, not 
al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, not Lions' Den, not any of the other groups 
run by the Palestinian Authority, they have anti-Semitic teachings that 
they put within their own schools.
  The list goes on and on of the examples we could give of what 
somebody might call a rank-and-file Gazan or a rank-and-file person in 
the West Bank or just a Palestinian that maybe doesn't fall under that 
name of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad but by any classical 
definition would absolutely be considered a terrorist, somebody that in 
the last couple of weeks had been conducting kidnappings, murders, 
brutality that is nearly unspeakable.
  As we look at this and what kind of exemptions should and should not 
exist, I ask that it be looked at through that lens, that there is not 
this far stretch to say there are very few innocent Palestinian 
civilians.
  I haven't seen the videos of the innocent Palestinian civilians who 
were out there trying to protect the Israelis, who were out there 
trying to stop the attacks and trying to get the captives returned 
instead of being taken into the tunnel systems.
  We need to look at that as well when we think about the equipment, 
whether agricultural or otherwise, that might be put in the hands of 
those terrorists.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 340 is an important effort to strengthen sanctions 
on Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that showed its true 
intent and core evil on October 7, when it crossed over a border and 
savagely massacred 1,400 people, took more than 240 people hostage, 
wounded thousands of others, and continues its assault, as it is 
written in its charter, to destroy the State of Israel and to murder 
Jews.
  I will remind my colleagues, if I can, that what we saw on October 7 
was the worst day for the murder of Jews since the Holocaust, but I 
also believe it is important that, unless we are talking about Nazis 
and the Holocaust, we are very careful and avoid making comparisons.
  I also think it is important that as Israel prosecutes its war 
against Hamas--and it is against Hamas, not against the Palestinian 
people--we recognize the humanity of the civilians, all the civilians 
who are caught in the middle of this horrific war.
  Hamas is a terrorist organization and must be eliminated from being a 
threat to Israel, an oppressor of its people, and in control of Gaza. 
That is why this legislation is so critically important. We have to see 
the humanity of people.
  I am a co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Abraham Accords Caucus. 
I have committed my life to seeking and pursuing peace for Israel and 
its neighbors. The Abraham Accords Caucus recognizes for the first time 
that both Arabs and Jews belong to the same land and records in its 
essence and in its being that by embracing each other, Arabs and Jews 
cannot only live together but lift each other up and lift up the future 
for the same land.
  Hamas does not see that future. Hamas is a terrorist organization. It 
is a threat to peace, a threat to Israel, a threat to democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Schneider for his strong, passionate 
support, as well as Ms. Manning and the author, Mr. Mast.
  Mr. Speaker, I think the gentleman makes a great argument. Hamas 
stands between the expansion of the Abraham Accords and the destruction 
of the Abraham Accords. They are the ones standing between peace in the 
Middle East and war, a war that they provoked, a war that was barbaric 
against our friend and ally, Israel. It is impossible to overstate just 
how violent and horrific the terrorist attacks in Israel were. I have 
seen it. Don't tell me it didn't happen because it is real.
  We can't underestimate the determination of Hamas itself. Their 
covenant explicitly states: ``Israel will exist and will continue to 
exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others 
before it.''
  I don't think it can be any more clear about their intent. Hamas has 
told us who they are and what they plan to do. We need to act here in 
Congress, and we need to act now.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 340, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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