Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1149, I call up the bill (H.R. 6046) to designate Ansarallah as a foreign terrorist organization and impose certain sanctions on Ansarallah, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today because of the grievous errors of the Biden administration.

The Biden administration's failed policies have emboldened the Houthi rebels at the expense of our regional partners. By projecting weakness on the world stage, this administration has invited aggression.

The Houthis were previously designated as a foreign terrorist organization, or FTO, and a specially designated global terrorist organization. Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued both designations in January 2021.

This was in response to the Houthis' violent takeover of Yemen's capital, years of civil war, and wide-scale suppression of Yemeni civilians, as well as the hundreds of cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Houthis undertook this entire campaign of destruction with the backing of Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Regrettably, the incoming Biden administration removed the two terrorist designations, even though Houthis continued to traffic in terror. Removing these designations with no concessions only emboldened the Houthi rebels.

After the designation was removed, the Houthis breached the former U.S. Embassy compound in Yemen. They forcibly detained several current and former U.S. Embassy locally employed staff and international aid workers, and Houthi cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia doubled compared to the previous year.

The Houthis' terrorist activities reached new heights after Hamas' October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. Since then, the Houthis, with the support of Iran and their Hezbollah proxies, have undertaken a deadly and disruptive campaign. They have launched over 100 missiles and drone attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis' missile and drone attacks have killed mariners and have even sunk a ship. The Houthis have hijacked a ship and continue to hold its crew hostage.

Iran and Hezbollah are, according to declassified U.S. intelligence, directly involved in the Houthi campaign against international shipping.

These disruptions pose a serious threat to the global economy. Ships are rerouting around the Horn of Africa, adding approximately 10 days in additional travel time and up to $1 million in fuel costs. Moreover, insurance premiums for ships using the Red Sea have increased tenfold.

The United States and our international partners have responded with military force to defend against the incoming Houthi attacks and, in some cases, undertaken strikes on Houthi military infrastructure in Yemen.

We need to be exerting all forms of pressure and deterrence on the Houthis to stop these attacks. We cannot ignore the Houthis' true nature. Their slogan, Mr. Speaker, is: ``Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.''

They are a terrorist organization and must be designated as such. This will ensure that all forms of support to the Houthis are subject to sanctions or criminal penalties.

While the Biden administration reimposed the specially designated global terrorist designation, it has substantial carve-outs that weaken the impact, essentially rendering it useless.

The stakes are too high, Mr. Speaker. One can only think about last Saturday night when Iran fired over 300 missiles and drones into Israel. It is the first time in history that rockets have been fired out of Iran into the State of Israel.

We must take action, and that is why this bill directs the Secretary of State to redesignate the Houthis as an FTO with no exceptions and no carve-outs.

The Houthis are waging an all-out war on global commerce and freedom of navigation, and Iran is bankrolling them.

If the United States and international community do not respond, we are, in essence, yielding to the demands of the terrorists. We are emboldening them and empowering them.

The Biden administration's weakness invited further Houthi aggression. Now it is up to the Congress to act and preserve our national security.

Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, March 1, 2024. Hon. Michael McCaul, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McCaul: I write regarding H.R. 6046. the Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act. Provisions of this bill fall within the Judiciary Committee's Rule X jurisdiction, and I appreciate that you consulted with us on those provisions. The Judiciary Committee agrees that it shall be discharged from further consideration of the bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor.

The Committee takes this action with the understanding that forgoing further consideration of this measure does not in any way alter the Committee's jurisdiction or waive any future jurisdictional claim over these provisions or their subject matter. We also reserve the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees in the event of a conference with the Senate involving this measure or similar legislation.

I ask that you please include this letter in your committee's report to accompany this legislation or insert this letter in the Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 6046 on the House floor. I appreciate the cooperative manner in which our committees have worked on this matter, and I look forward to working collaboratively in the future on matters of shared jurisdiction. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Jim Jordan, Chairman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC, March 5, 2024. Hon. Jim Jordan, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Jordan: Thank you for consulting with the Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 6046. the Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act, so that the measure may proceed expeditiously to the House floor.

I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate conference on this legislation.

I will place our letters into our Committee's report on this bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work together as this measure moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Michael T. McCaul, Chairman.

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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me just say I learned one thing in my 20 years here and as a history major, as well. It repeats itself.

If you message weakness, that invites aggression, conflict, and war. If you project strength, you have peace. Whether it be Israel, whether it be Ukraine, whether it be China and their ambitions with Taiwan, we are projecting weakness.

We are seeing around the world our global hot spots. The world is on fire now, Mr. Speaker, fires lit by a policy of appeasement.

When they lifted the FTO designation on the Houthi rebels, there is a direct cause and effect. I respect my good friend from the other side of the aisle, but messaging counts. Deterrence does count.

What happened after the Biden administration lifted the terrorist designation? We had crossed borders on Saudi Arabia that doubled to over 400 attacks, more than 180 on international shipping, and they are shutting down the Red Sea and commerce.

We are only emboldening, and unfortunately, the policy in the Middle East has always been to appease and accommodate Iran so that maybe Iran will one day sit down so we can break bread and have this glorious Iran deal.

I am an idealist and an optimist, but I am also a realist and pragmatic in my worldview. That was not going to happen.

What have we seen when the Biden administration lifted sanctions on energy? We have seen $80 billion in energy sold to China; $80 billion going to Iran to kill, for terror operations through their proxies; $80 billion to send missiles, rockets, and drones to Russia to kill Ukrainians. It is all connected. Those three are our adversaries and our enemies, all three of them.

This is not the time to be sending a message of weakness to the largest state sponsor of terror, for to do so will only invite more aggression.

We also have waived and let expire sanctions on the drones and missiles manufactured by Iran. Let's think about that. That just went away. So, guess what? Iran can now sell their drones and missiles wherever they want, putting more money into Iran for their terror operations.

I can go on and on. We know what is happening there. We saw what happened last Saturday, the reign of terror. Thank God the United States provided the moneys for the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and the Arrow, which brought down 99 percent of these attacks. Ninety-nine percent of these attacks were actually brought down, stopped, and intercepted because of this partnership against terror.

Mr. Speaker, to our servicemembers defending freedom of navigation right now in the Red Sea against the threat of Houthi rockets that they intercept every day, for the other side to say it is not connected to Iran just defies our U.S. intelligence community. We know exactly where it is coming from. They are the proxies. Iran, the Ayatollah, is the head of the snake and the proxies are the tentacles. It is time to deal with the tentacles, and it is also time to cut the head of the snake off.

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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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