From his perch on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., has teamed up with U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, the chairman of the U.S. House Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia Subcommittee, have teamed up on the “No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act.”
The bill “deters the government of Iran, other hostile governments, and individuals from hostage-taking or wrongfully detaining United States nationals by imposing sanction and other strict penalties,” and Wilson’s office offered some of the details on the proposal.
“Among the actions listed in the bill is the requirement of the president to deny visas for anyone seeking admission to the United States as a representative to the United Nations who is sanctioned under terrorism or weapons of mass destruction proliferation executive orders. The legislation also requires the administration to review all cases of hostage-taking regarding Iran and determine if foreign persons responsible for hostage-taking meet the criteria for sanctions under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act,” Wilson’s office noted.
Back in 2019, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-NJ, and then U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., brought out the “Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-taking Accountability Act” which “cements in place programs to address hostage-taking, and gives the United States government new tools to rescue hostages and punish their captors.” The bill sanctioneded individuals who take Americans hostage, elevates the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to the rank of Ambassador and creates an inter-agency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell and a Hostage Response Group. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., and Wilson were among the co-sponsors in the House. Then President Donald Trump signed the bill into law in 2020.
This week, Wilson, who replaced Deutch as chairman of the subcommittee, and Moskowitz, who replaced Deutch in Congress after he resigned in 2022 to take over as CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), weighed in on the bill this week.
“The Iranian regime continues to be the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. This bill takes action, ensuring terrorists who take American citizens hostage are punished for their crimes, and not rewarded with financial incentives. It ensures that the oppressors of freedom in Iran do not get to visit the United States to enjoy the liberties here that they deprive their citizens of at home in Iran. Mass murderer and terrorist Ebrahim Raisi hates the United States, pledges death to America, yet applies and is granted to travel to New York annually for the United Nations, this hypocrisy is unacceptable,” said Wilson.
“Robert Levinson was a constituent of mine. He missed birthdays, anniversaries, and even funerals because of the Iranian regime’s continued crimes against the American people. When Iran wrongfully detains one of our own, they must know that the U.S. will not sit back, we will take action and respond,” said Moskowitz.
The bill was sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. So far, there is no companion over in the U.S. Senate.
