Gottheimer, DeSantis Urge Secretary Mnuchin to Crack Down on Hamas

Washington, DC – Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05) and Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL-06) today sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin urging the Treasury Department to adopt a comprehensive strategy for cracking down on the terrorist group Hamas. In total, 19 members of Congress signed onto this bipartisan letter.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers asked Secretary Mnuchin for information on the efficacy of the July 2017 U.S.-Qatar Memorandum of Understanding, as well as an assessment of any progress made by the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC).

“As a member of the House Committee on Financial Service’s Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance, I am committed to cracking down on Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups that threaten the U.S. and Israel and further destabilize the region. We need a strong plan from the U.S. Treasury Department and each of our allies in Middle East to to stomp out terrorism and cut off Hamas at the source.” Gottheimer said. “

“Terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, are dependent on Qatar to fund their illicit activities and harbor extremists,” DeSantis said. “We will never be able to effectively combat terrorism in the Middle East unless these financial lifelines are severed. The United States must make it clear to Qatar that continuing to prop up Hamas and other terrorist groups will result in severe consequences. I am looking forward to hearing Secretary Mnuchin detail how his department is working with Qatar to counter the financing of violent terrorist organizations.”

You can read the letter here.

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