Rep. McMorris Rodgers: The United States does not negotiate with terrorists

Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terror. We should not pay ransom to them.

This week, the People’s House called out the President and his administration for paying $400 million in cash to Iran. To ensure this will never happen again, the People’s House passed the Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act (H.R. 5931).

Plain and simple: the United States does not negotiate with terrorists.

It’s not just a mantra. This bedrock principle of American foreign policy has protected countless American lives. It’s a promise to the American people that their safety and security is our top priority. But this administration has put that principle at risk through its willingness to negotiate with an increasingly aggressive and uncooperative Iranian regime.

The recent violence in New York City and St. Cloud is yet another somber reminder of the very real threats facing our country – violence that shows our enemies will go to great lengths to destroy the values and principles on which our country is founded.

Iran continues to be a destructive force in the Middle East, financially supporting agents of instability throughout the region from Hezbollah in Lebanon to Assad in Syria.

This administration has failed to hold them accountable for their support of violence and terror, and now, for holding Americans hostage. By paying a ransom to Iran, President Obama not only rewarded the Iranian regime for its aggressive behavior, he made Americans more vulnerable when they travel and our allies more susceptible to Iranian hostility.

With the passage of the Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act, the People’s House stands resolved. We are renewing our commitment to protect you and defend our interests, here and abroad. Wherever terror exists.