Senator David Perdue (R-Ga.), this week introduced legislation that would prohibit the federal government from providing cash or precious metal payments to nations designated as state sponsors of terrorism.
“It is our job to safeguard Americans’ tax dollars and fund the government’s primary responsibilities like providing for the national defense,” said Senator Perdue.
“That’s why it is unbelievable this legislation is even necessary. Untraceable cash payments should not be going to nations supporting terrorism or other nefarious activities—period. This bill prohibits the federal government from providing cash or precious metal payments to state sponsors of terror, like the $1.7 billion cash payment President Obama paid Iran earlier this year.
"Currently, U.S. law does not prohibit the U.S. government from providing a cash or equivalent payment to a nation designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. This is a serious loophole, as we learned with the Obama Administration’s recent cash payment of $1.7 billion to Iran. Cash is impossible to track; therefore, cash should not be provided to nations with a track record of supporting terrorism."
The State Department currently lists Iran, Syria, and Sudan as state sponsors of terrorism. North Korea, which is also prohibited from receiving cash payments by the legislation, was removed from the state sponsors of terror list in 2008, but still exhibits provocative behavior and continues to flaunt multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.
View the full text of S.3443 here.