[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 20435-20436]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HEZBOLLAH IS A TERRORIST GROUP AND A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Hezbollah is not only a terrorist 
group, it is a criminal organization that funds its terror through drug 
trafficking, arms dealing, and money laundering.

[[Page 20436]]

  Hezbollah is believed to raise $4 billion to $5 billion, annually, 
through these criminal activities. Tons of Hezbollah cocaine makes its 
way into the United States every year, but the past administration 
refused to designate Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, as a criminal 
organization making it possible to prosecute Hezbollah in the United 
States.
  They repeatedly delayed and denied DEA requests to investigate and 
prosecute Hezbollah drug dealing and arms dealing networks. Why? So 
Iran would not back out of the nuclear deal.
  In 2016, the White House even let a Hezbollah arms dealer with 
connections to Putin go free. That is why Representatives Cook, Ros-
Lehtinen, and I sent a letter to the President yesterday urging him to 
designate Hezbollah as a transnational criminal organization and a 
kingpin entity.
  No more backroom deals for Iran. We must change course quickly. Every 
day more illegal money flows into Hezbollah's coffers. Hezbollah 
terrorists and criminals ought to be prosecuted.
  And that is just the way it is.

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