Washington, D.C.- The US House of Representatives has passed the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act to impose sanctions on Hamas and freeze its members’ assets.
The act was originally filed last January, but Hamas’ despotic October 7th attacks made passing the bill a bipartisan priority for lawmakers.
Representative Brian Mast (R-Fl) sponsored the bill and welcomed its passage.
“The United States needs to send a clear message that anyone or any group that enables these barbarians will not go unpunished and that the U.S. will never waiver in its commitment to freedom,” said Representative Mast.
However, Mast’s bill did not receive unanimous Democrat support, as some representatives, such as Representatives Ilhan Omar (MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), and Rashida Tlaib (MI), voted against the act.
Now, the bill will undergo scrutiny in the Senate chambers.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fl) filed the Senate companion to the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act and welcomed the House’s affirmative vote on it.
“Our nation must be proactive in helping Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East, defend itself from extremist groups that seek to undermine and destroy Israel,” stated Senator Rubio.
Yet a similar version of the bill failed to pass the Senate after being approved by the House in 2021.
Rubio, given the severity of Hamas’ October 7th attacks and the imminent threat posed to US-ally Israel, is encouraging Senators pass the act this time around.
“We must hold accountable the individuals who are aiding Hamas terrorists and Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” underscored Rubio.
Rubio has led various other efforts to resist Hamas, recently filing three counterterrorism bills aimed at tackling terrorist and anti-Semitic activity both at home and abroad.
