WASHINGTON— Monday, Congressman Jim Banks released the following statement in response to the House’s passage of H.R.8038, which included the MAHSA Act, his legislation to sanction the Iranian regime for its human rights abuses:
“If the MAHSA Act is signed into law, it will be the toughest Iran sanctions bill enacted by Congress since I was elected in 2016. It is badly needed because President Biden and the Democrats have done everything possible to avoid holding Iran accountable, including giving Iran $10 billion in sanctions relief last month and trying to water down the MAHSA Act. The Democrats’ policy of appeasement caused chaos in the Middle East. It recently emboldened the Ayatollah to launch an aerial attack from Iranian soil on Israel for the first time in history. The MAHSA Act will force this administration to reverse course and hold Iran accountable.”
Rep. Banks first introduced the MAHSA Act during the 117th Congress after the tragic murder of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s “Morality Police.” Mahsa Amini’s death triggered pro-democracy and anti-regime protests in Iran and around the world.
The House overwhelmingly passed the MAHSA Act as a standalone bill in September 2023. H.R. 8038 includes this version of the MAHSA Act in full.
