By U.S. Senator Deb Fischer
The definition of the word “ransom,” according to Webster’s Dictionary, is “money paid to free someone who has been captured or kidnapped.” Someone in the White House should look it up.
Last week, the State Department confirmed that a $400 million cash payment to Iran was contingent upon the release of four American hostages. The administration, including President Barack Obama himself, had previously denied that the payment was connected to the prisoners’ release.
Proponents of the Iran nuclear deal, which I strongly opposed last year, argued that the deal would open the door to greater cooperation with Iran.
But we have not seen a more moderate Iran or a more responsible U.S. foreign policy since the deal went into effect. We have seen worse on both accounts, and this payment is one example.
After seven months of denial, it has become clear there was a direct link between the release of American hostages and the transfer of $400 million in cash to the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. The perception of a ransom payment has been replaced by its reality.
Now Americans around the world are at increased risk because of this dangerous decision.
This cash payment is shocking, but it is actually just a fraction of the total funds paid by the Obama administration to Iran.
In January, the U.S. Treasury transferred a total of $1.7 billion from a little-known government account called the Judgment Fund to Iran’s Central Bank. In May, Iran’s Central Bank transferred the $1.7 billion it had received from the Judgment Fund to the Iranian military.
That’s right. The Obama administration transferred nearly $2 billion in taxpayer dollars to a regime that actively supports terrorist groups. Many of the groups on Iran’s payroll — such as Hezbollah and Hamas — have killed Americans.
This is unacceptable, and it must not happen again.
This troubling transaction was brought to my attention earlier this year, and I quickly went to work to address it.
Before news broke of the administration’s ransom payment, I joined with Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., to give the American people and members of Congress greater oversight of the Judgment Fund.
The Judgment Fund, which is administered by the Treasury Department, is used to pay for certain court judgments and settlements against the federal government. Between 2013 and 2015, the federal government paid more than $10 billion in Judgment Fund awards with scant transparency or oversight.
My legislation with Lankford, known as the Judgment Fund Transparency and Terrorism Financing Prevention Act, would allow members of Congress to see exactly where payments such as the Iran ransom are being spent.
This bill builds upon previous legislation that I introduced with Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo. That bill established procedures for tracking taxpayer dollars paid out of the Judgment Fund. It passed the Senate in April.
Now events have proved that our bills are desperately needed to ensure responsible stewardship of both taxpayer dollars and something far, far more precious: American lives.
By paying ransom to a foreign government in exchange for hostages, the Obama administration has sent a signal to the world that it can be bought. Service members stationed overseas, families on vacation and college students studying abroad are all now at greater risk because of it.
As a U.S. senator, my highest priority is the defense of our people. In the Senate, I will continue to lead the call for clear oversight of the Judgment Fund. Working with my colleagues in Congress, I will also continue my push for a responsible foreign policy that protects our people.
