Sanctions and Financial Pressure

The Committee on Foreign Affairs] has played a leading role in applying sanctions and related elements of financial pressure to address major U.S. national security threats. We have used America's economic might to help stop terrorists, to counter Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs, and to respond to Russian aggression and the degradation of democracy in Venezuela. Last summer 2017], in response to the ongoing threats from Iran, Russia, and North Korea, it was the Committee on Foreign Affairs that put together legislation, it was Congress that enacted the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act to affect all three. The Committee has] passed legislation through the House targeting Iran's ballistic missile program, and is] working with our colleagues in the Senate to strengthen the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act. This is a landmark bill enacted 2 years ago to target Iran's top terror proxy, Hezbollah. Sanctions are rooted in Article I power to regulate commerce with foreign nations. So it is not surprising that Congress has had to push successive administrations to effectively use these national security tools. No matter how tough the language of our sanctions bills, they are only as strong as their enforcement. And that is why we must work together to ensure that the executive branch not only has the political will, but also the resources, as well as the expertise needed, to implement stronger sanctions.