House to Vote on Resolutions to Lift Terrorism-Related Sanctions

The U.S. Capitol on July 6, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on July 18 on resolutions that would lift terrorism-related sanctions.

The resolutions would end national emergencies declared by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama between 2003 and 2012.

H.J.Res.68, introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), would repeal the national emergency declared by Mr. Bush on Oct. 27, 2006, which pertained to blocking the property of sanctioned individuals behind the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

H.J.Res.70, introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), would undo the national emergency signed by Mr. Obama on Feb. 25, 2011, which related to the conflict in Libya.

H.J.Res.74, also introduced by Mr. Gosar, would repeal the national emergency declared by Mr. Obama on May 16, 2012, which pertained to sanctioning those threatening the peace and stability of Yemen.

H.J.Res.71, introduced by Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), would undo the national emergency declared by Mr. Bush on May 22, 2003, which related to the stabilization of Iraq.

H.J.Res.79, introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), would repeal the national emergency declared by Mr. Bush on May 11, 2004, which sanctioned people and prohibited certain export to Syria over its support for terrorism and other malign activities.

Gabriel Noronha, who served as special adviser for the Iran Action Group in the State Department under President Donald Trump, warned in a July 17 Twitter thread that Mr. Gosar, Mr. Crane, and Mr. Gaetz’s resolutions would cease sanctions against dangerous people, including “ISIS fundraisers, war criminals, and murderers of U.S. soldiers.”

Mr. Noronha said that H.J.Res.70 would end “sanctions [against]the family of Libyan dictator Mohammad Gaddafi and sanctions [against] a Libyan oil and drug smuggling network” that were enacted by the Trump administration.

Regarding H.J.Res.74, Mr. Noronha said it would end an executive order that has been used to sanction Houthi head Abdul Malik Houthi and other Houthi terrorists based in Yemen and supported by Iran.

Mr. Noronha wrote that Mr. Crane’s resolution “would end several Iraq sanctions authorities used to target 207 terrorists and militia leaders in Iraq—guys like Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani, responsible for killing and kidnapping U.S. soldiers,” who would “be free from sanctions if this were passed.”

“[H.J.Res.79] would end several Syrian sanctions that hit 664 individuals and entities—guys like George Haswani, who helped sell ISIS' oil to Assad. Or dozens of Assad’s chemical weapons scientists who gassed innocent Syrians to death with Sarin poison,” Mr. Noronha wrote.

“I’ve only touched on the very tip of the iceberg of just how many terrorists, chemical weapons scientists, torturers, terror fundraisers, drug lords, and more would be freed from sanctions. These scum whose hands are soaked in blood could freely bank again—or come to America!”

In a statement to The Epoch Times, Mr. Crane said that his measure is about respecting the separation of powers. “Congress needs to do its job and stop letting these dated emergency declarations be used as a green light to fuel forever wars. I’ve been deployed to Iraq three times as a Navy SEAL – I’m not naive,“ he said. ”I trust that anyone who’s concerned about these sanctions will immediately cosponsor my forthcoming legislation that will move them to their proper lanes of authorization.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the offices of Ms. Boebert and Mr. Gaetz for comment but received none by press time.

The Rationale

Nonetheless, in a statement to The Epoch Times, Mr. Gosar explained the rationale behind his resolutions to end emergency declarations tied to Libya and Yemen. Part of his explanation stemmed from Congress’s role in reviewing national emergencies.

“There are currently 41 extended national emergencies that are subject to periodic Congressional review. The emergency declarations related to Libya and Yemen are more than a decade old,” he said.

“The National Emergencies Act mandates Congress consider joint resolutions terminating national emergencies every six months. Yet Congress has never reviewed the legitimacy of the national emergency related to Libya or Yemen since their declaration by President Obama.”

Mr. Gosar went on to explain that his Yemen-related measure was about allowing for the United States to provide humanitarian assistance to the people in the West Asian country.

“Heartlessly, the extended national emergency related to Yemen blocks the donations of food, clothing, and medicine intended to relieve the human suffering by the people of Yemen,” he said. “Imagine the number of lives of innocent Yemen children that could have been improved or even saved had this emergency declaration been terminated.”

Shortly after President Joe Biden took office in 2021, he reversed the U.S. designation of the Houthis as a terrorist organization—a designation put in place by the Trump administration in its final days. The Biden administration claimed that the designation prevented facilitating humanitarian aid to the people of Yemen—a claim that has been refuted by critics who said such assistance wasn’t subject to sanctions.

Regarding his Libya-related measure, Mr. Gosar claimed that the national emergency is no longer applicable.

“Almost hilariously, the extended national emergency related to Libya continues to cite Muammar Gaddafi as the reason for the declaration. Gaddafi has been dead for almost 12 years,” he said. “The people of Libya deserve to live in a manner of their choosing without the prospect of U.S. bombings or attacks thrust upon them by corrupt and misguided U.S. agencies—none of whom are acting with Congressional approval.”