Wisconsin Rep. Steil Introduces Amendments to National Defense Authorization Act

Wisconsin Representative Bryan Steil (R-WI-01) introduced amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act.

According to a press release from Steil’s office, “Steil introduced several amendments to the nation’s annual defense funding bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to strengthen the legislation and hold our adversaries accountable.”

“Our top priority must be to protect American citizens at home and abroad. We must ensure that our nation’s defense bill includes provisions to hold Iran, the Taliban, and other rouge actors accountable. I will continue working with my colleagues to counter terrorists and the regimes that support them and ensure Americans are safe here at home,” said Steil.

According to the press release, Steil introduced a total of five amendments “to hold our adversaries accountable and cosponsored an amendment to combat human trafficking.”

One of the proposed amendments would stop the evasion of Iran sanctions. According to the press release, “This amendment would prevent those trying to avoid U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime by using a loophole known as INSTEX. This would give 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).”

Another amendment, called the Banking Transparency For Sanctioned Persons Amendment, would “require the U.S. Treasury Department to regularly report to Congress any sanctions waivers provided to allow transactions between financial institutions and targeted individuals.”

Steil also introduced an amendment requiring the Department of Defense to “report to Congress on the long-term threats posed by the U.S. backing the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and other Iranian-backed militias in the war on ISIS.”

Another amendment would require a report on trade sanctions with the Taliban. This amendment would have “the Treasury Department issue a report to Congress on the current status of U.S. and UN sanctions on the Taliban.”

Steil wants the report to detail “the gaps in current sanctions authorities to block the Taliban’s sources of finance with the current situation in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover, the ways current sanctions can be enhanced to block the Taliban’s profit from the drug trade, and the trade of rare earth minerals as well as economic relations between the Taliban and China.”

Steil also wants an amendment to require a report on Arab gas lines describing, “the hard currency and other financial benefits that the Assad regime in Syria will obtain through transit fees for allowing the export of gas into Lebanon through the Arab Gas Pipeline in case the President issues a waiver under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019.”

Finally, Steil co-sponsored an amendment from Rep. Madeline Dean (R-PA-04) to “designate an office within the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence to coordinate efforts to combat the illicit financing of human trafficking.”

– – –

Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected]