{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-on-house-floor-we-cannot-return-to-one-sided-deals-that-strengthen-iran-must-maintain-pressure-on-iranian-regime", "Steil on House Floor: We cannot return to one-sided deals that strengthen Iran, must maintain pressure on Iranian regime", "2020-12-03", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "WI", "Bryan Steil", "S001213", "steil.house.gov", "steil", "https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Today, Congressman Bryan Steil delivered a speech on the House floor on the need to continue putting pressure on Iran through sanctions and peace agreements between Israel and Middle Eastern countries. Steil also highlighted his new bill, the Preventing Illicit Finance Act, which creates a public-private group to limit the use of the financial system by bad actors.\n\n\"U.S. financial sanctions hinder the Iranian Regime's influence and activity in the region and impair their ability to obtain a nuclear weapon. Our bill strengthens the United States' ability to enforce financial sanctions against Iran, Russia, and other bad actors. I will continue working to ensure government agencies and the private sector work together to combat illicit finance and sanctions evasion,\" said Steil.\n\nThe Preventing Illicit Finance Act creates a public-private partnership focused on ensuring that sanctions enacted by the U.S. and its allies are not circumvented by hidden transactions, as well as preventing proliferation finance \u2013 the use of the financial system to develop or distribute nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons.\n\nSteil co-introduced the Preventing Illicit Finance Act with Congresswoman Cindy Axne. Both are both members of the House Financial Services Committee, which has oversight jurisdiction on the financial services products and institutions.\n\nEarlier this year, Steil introduced the Stop Evasion of Iran Sanctions Act, giving the Secretary of the Treasury the explicit authority to sanction a financial institution operating outside the United States that knowingly conducts a significant sanctionable transaction related to the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). Read Steil's op-ed in the Washington Examiner on the need to hold Iran accountable here.\n\nSteil floor remarks:\n\nMr. Speaker,\n\nI rise to address one of the greatest threats to American safety, Iran.\n\nIran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and from its past actions, we know Iran cannot be trusted.\n\nHowever, over the past four years, progress has been made.\n\nOur maximum pressure campaign and sanctions have reined in Iran's power.\n\nNormalization agreements between Israel and numerous nations in the region continue to isolate Iran.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan have embraced peace and cooperation.\n\nAt this moment of success, the United States cannot back down.\n\nWe cannot return to one-sided deals that strengthen Iran.\n\nThere is little doubt that without our efforts, Iran will continue its pursuit for a nuclear weapon and regional domination.\n\nWe must maintain pressure on the Regime.\n\nJust last month, the IAEA confirmed what we suspected all along. The Iranian Regime continues to ramp up its nuclear program\u2014in fact, it is accelerating its efforts.\n\nThis is not the time to appease the Iranian Regime \u2013 we must stand strong.\n\nUnder the Obama-Biden Administration, we saw years of failed foreign policy.\n\nYears of policy that allowed Iran to continue developing a nuclear weapon.\n\nYears of policy that sent pallets of cash to Iran.\n\nYears of policy that neglected our alliance with Israel.\n\nYears of policy that allowed Iranian terrorism to thrive across the region.\n\nAfter the failed Obama-Biden Iran Deal was implemented. Iran continued perpetrating violence, terrorism, and proxy wars across the Middle East. Iran came closer and closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon.\n\nPresident Trump has shown that there's another way.\n\nWe do not need to appease terrorist states and turn our backs on Israel.\n\nInstead, the Trump administration's strength has helped set the conditions for regional peace.\n\nCooperation between Israel and other Middle Eastern states is continuing to grow. This change of policy has brought hope.\n\nPeace is possible. But peace does not happen through capitulation and it will not happen if we go backwards.\n\nIt's clear that U.S. sanctions targeting Iran are working. We need to maintain our sanctions against Iran and take decisive steps to prevent evasion.\n\nSanctions cut off vital resources that Iran's leaders use to enrich themselves and spread terrorism.\n\nU.S. financial sanctions make it harder for Iran to fund its ambitions to become a nuclear power.\n\nUnfortunately, bad actors work hard to get around our sanctions.\n\nIt's why I co-introduced the Preventing Illicit Finance Act.\n\nThis bill supports our maximum pressure campaign and creates a public-private group to limit the abuse of the financial system by bad actors, like Iran.\n\nMy bill strengthens the United States' ability to enforce financial sanctions against Iran, Russia, and other adversaries.\n\nOur maximum pressure campaign is working.\n\nWe cannot turn a blind eye to Iran's aggression and pursuit of terrorism.\n\nIran must be held accountable.\n\nBy strengthening our sanctions enforcement and maintaining our tough approach, we can prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"]], "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://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-on-house-floor-we-cannot-return-to-one-sided-deals-that-strengthen-iran-must-maintain-pressure-on-iranian-regime"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.960830133408308, "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"}