Press Releases

 On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Johnson (LA-04) introduced an amendment to H.R. 1096, the Judgement Fund Transparency Act. This legislation requires the Treasury Department to disclose certain details after payments are made from the Judgment Fund - a permanent and indefinite appropriation to pay judgments against the United States. Johnson’s amendment seeks to further increase transparency for taxpayers and to further ensure terrorist organizations are prohibited from receiving taxpayer funds.

The amendment passed out of the House Judiciary Committee by a voice vote on Wednesday. Johnson’s opening statement can be viewed here.

Rep. Johnson released the following statement:

“It was an outrage for the Obama administration to pay nearly $1.3 billion to Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, with no clearly identifiable recipient or appropriate accountability. It seems that nearly every week we hear news of another terror attack, and funding their supporters is the last thing we should be doing. We must never allow tax dollars to be given to violent, rouge nations that support terrorism and threaten the safety and security of the United States. My amendment ensures any recipients of these funds are known to the American people and that absolutely no terrorist organizations receives even a penny of our precious taxpayer money. 

Background

Last year, the Obama administration sent three payments totaling $1.3 billion to Iran to “pay legal settlements.” The State Department also confirmed a payment to Iran of $1.7 billion to settle a case related to the “sale of military equipment.” Per reports, 13 identical payments were found, each totaling $99,999,999 million, which is just beneath the maximum amount allowed from the Judgment Fund. These 13 payments total $1.3 billion, but it is not clear to whom exactly those payments were made.