[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my constituents 
to express my outrage about the White House's ransom payment to Iran.
  On January 17, 2016, the Obama administration announced that it would 
give the Islamic Republic of Iran a total of $1.7 billion to settle a 
1979 arms deal. However, they failed to announce that, the day before, 
the administration had delivered an advance payment in cash of $400 
million in unmarked bills to Iran in exchange for four American 
hostages. In fact, the American people did not learn that the White 
House had made this secret ransom payment at all until this past 
August.
  The Obama administration's decision to violate our Nation's own 
historic policy against ransom payments has established a frightening 
precedent for the future. The President's willingness to bend to Iran's 
demands and use unmarked bills demonstrates to the world a fundamental 
weakness that emboldens our enemies while ceding to the demands of 
state sponsors of terrorism.
  American soldiers, diplomats, and citizens living and traveling 
abroad are less safe this year than they were last year. And global 
beliefs and perceptions of American leadership and intentions--among 
our allies and, more disastrously, among the bad actors in the world--
have been forever altered.
  Indeed, Iran is already celebrating its leverage over the United 
States. One commander of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard militia exulted 
that ``taking this much money back was in return for the release of the 
American spies.''
  Since the January ransom payment, Iran has, unsurprisingly, arrested 
additional Americans. The American people deserve answers about why the 
President felt it was acceptable to give nearly $2 billion to radical 
extremists supporting terrorism across the Middle East and beyond.
  That is why this month I interrogated officials at a Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Investigations hearing. My colleagues and I questioned 
the timing of the secret payment, the White House's insidious and 
foolish decision to use unmarked bills, and implications on terrorism 
in the region. But the administration refused to answer my simple 
questions that would give Americans the answers they deserve. Instead, 
officials said they could only share information behind closed doors.
  I took them up on that offer, and I and my colleagues had that 2-
hour-long, closed-door, classified meeting. After that briefing, I am 
now more certain than ever, Mr. Speaker, that the Obama administration 
paid an irresponsible and dangerous ransom to Iran. Why is the Obama 
administration so desperate to cover up the details of its ransom 
payment from the American people?
  The White House has made a reckless national security decision to 
bend entirely to the demands of Iran without assurances that Iran would 
not use this money for its military.
  Keep in mind that the Iranian military blatantly funds Hezbollah and 
other terrorist organizations. Shockingly, the administration told me 
publicly that, even if they had received assurances from Iran, they 
wouldn't have trusted the country to keep its promises.
  Why, then, would we have given $400 million in unmarked bills to the 
world's leading state sponsor of terrorism? Why would the Obama 
administration accommodate and fund a foreign military that funds 
terrorism around the world?
  Why didn't the White House write legally binding restrictions on the 
use of the money into the settlement agreement? Why did we agree to the 
settlement with a state sponsor of terrorism in the first place?
  The entire $1.7 billion was reportedly transferred to the Iranian 
military to fund a 90 percent increase in Iran's military budget. This 
is public information, and the Obama administration dismissively 
pretends that no one can use the Internet.
  The Obama administration's gift to the Iranian military is a disgrace 
to America's allies in the Middle East, especially to Israel. It is a 
degradation of America's counterterrorism efforts and geopolitical 
leadership. It is a failure to protect Americans abroad and the new 
prisoners who have been detained in Iran.
  As a member of this free Nation's assembly of the people, I will hold 
our President accountable for his deception and negligence and will 
work to reverse this dangerous precedent that this administration has 
made for the future of our country.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded not to engage in 
personalities toward the President.

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