Arizona lawmaker supports bipartisan bill to cut off resources for Iran’s energy industry
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today was part of a strong bipartisan majority in the House who voted to cut off outside support for Iran’s energy industry.
“Let no one doubt the resolve of Congress when it comes to Iran,” said Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. “Democrats and Republicans stand united in making sure we do everything within our power to reduce the grave threat Iran poses to the United States, to our allies and to regional stability in the Middle East.”
The Iran Sanctions Enabling Act passed the House this afternoon in a 414 to 6 vote. Giffords is a co-sponsor of the legislation.
The bill gives educational institutions and state and local governments the authority to forbid investment in entities that have investments of more than $20 million in the Iranian energy sector.
Passage of the act was welcomed by Stuart Mellan, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.
“We applaud Representative Gifford’s vote for this important legislation, which comes at such a critical moment in our government’s efforts to deter Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” he said. “The issues of Iran's nuclear program, as well as its violations of human rights and support for terrorism, are defining issues of our time. Clearly, strong sanctions are a powerful diplomatic tool—and surely every American must applaud these steps taken to derail the current path to a nuclear Iran.”
The Iran Sanctions Enabling Act was introduced by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and was approved by the House Financial Services Committee in April. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate in May and now has more than 30 cosponsors.
“We must make Iran pay an economic price for their behavior,” said Giffords. “Iran’s leaders need to know that there are consequences to their support of terrorist organizations or concealment of nuclear facilities.”