Washington, D.C.- Congresswoman Elise Stefanik applauds the passage of two key pieces of legislation she co-led out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Fight CRIME Act (H.R. 3152) and the MAHSA Act (H.R. 589). These bills respectively enforce sanctions on Iran’s missile defense industrial base and mandate sanctions for evidence of human rights abuses by the Iranian government.
The bipartisan Fight CRIME Act imposes mandatory sanctions on anyone involved in the supply, sale, transfer of, or support for, Iran’s missile and drone programs ahead of the October 2023 expiration of the UN missile ban on Iran. This legislation additionally requires the Biden Administration to provide a report to Congress on its strategy to ensure entities and individuals involved in Iran’s missile and drone programs are sanctioned to the fullest extent of international law even after the expiration of the UN missile ban.
“Joe Biden’s lax sanction enforcement and willingness to pander to the Iranian Regime, has emboldened the government of Iran to flout international sanctions. Joe Biden continues to ignore these clear violations of current international sanctions and hope that his ignorance will be a sufficient deterrent.” Stated Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. “We must pursue a maximum pressure campaign against Iran. Peace can only be sustained through strictly enforcing and expanding sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone programs while simultaneously bolstering our homeland missile defense architecture. As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have tirelessly advocated for the construction of a third missile defense site at Fort Drum. It is long past time that we enforce sanctions against entities aiding Iran’s missile programs and strengthen our homeland missile defense architecture to deter Iran's growing ballistic missile capabilities.”
The MAHSA Act honors the twenty-two-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Iran’s Guidance Patrol for wearing an “improper hijab” and then reportedly beaten to death by police. This legislation codifies three of President Trump’s executive orders which sanctioned the Supreme Leader’s office and his inner circle, as well as mandates sanctions for human rights abuses by the Iranian government and blocks the property and prohibits transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit to support terrorism.
Find the full text of the Fight CRIME Act HERE.
Find the full text of the MAHSA Act HERE.
