{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/emmer-leads-bipartisan-fact-finding-mission-into-crypto-terrorist-fundraising", "Emmer Leads Bipartisan Fact-Finding Mission into Crypto Terrorist Fundraising", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Tom Emmer", "E000294", "emmer.house.gov", "emmer", "https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06), Chairman Patrick McHenry (NC-10), Digital Asset Subcommittee Chairman French Hill (AR-02) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) led 58 of their colleagues on a bipartisan letter to President Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to inquire into the size, scope, and duration of Hamas\u2019s crypto fundraising efforts. This letter embarks on a fact-finding mission intended to gather information that can inform congressional actions.\n\n\u201cOpen, transparent blockchain technology should easily provide an open book of Hamas\u2019s terror financing with digital assets, as compared to traditional, more opaque, methods of financing. We request the White House and the Treasury to utilize the open blockchain ledger to assess the footprint of Hamas\u2019s digital asset fundraising campaign. In doing this, Congress can better understand the United States\u2019 available tools and capabilities to target bad actors on blockchain and support legitimate digital asset use and innovation,\u201d Emmer said.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s critical for Congress to understand the true extent of the use of digital assets for illicit purposes. In light of conflicting reports regarding Hamas\u2019 fundraising efforts through digital assets, we are commencing a bipartisan fact-finding mission. It\u2019s important to note that digital assets are built on transparent and open distributed ledger technology\u2014making it far easier to detect and track illicit activity. It\u2019s essential that we hold bad actors in the digital asset ecosystem accountable in order for legitimate players to thrive. I thank my colleagues, Whip Emmer, Congressman Torres, and Subcommittee Chairman Hill for their partnership on this issue,\u201d Chairman McHenry said.\n\n\u201cTerrorism financing is unacceptable no matter what form it takes, whether that\u2019s cash or crypto. Congress must better understand how groups like Hamas use digital assets to fund their operations and cut off all avenues for this illicit activity, but also recognize that bad actors are the problem\u2014not crypto. I thank my colleagues, Chairman McHenry, Whip Emmer, and Congressman Torres for our continued collaboration on this critical issue,\u201d said Rep. Hill.\n\nBackground:\n\nThe United States government routinely sanctions and seizes cryptocurrency used for illicit purposes. Last year, Congressman Emmer led a bipartisan letter to the Federal Reserve inquiring into the United States stockpile of digital assets and the mechanisms through which the government holds and transfers those assets.\n\nThe Members requested a response to the letter no later than November 29. The full letter can be viewed here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/emmer-leads-bipartisan-fact-finding-mission-into-crypto-terrorist-fundraising"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7829419337213039, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}