U.S. Rep. Todd Young (R-IN) called for the creation of a bipartisan Select Committee on Monday to provide robust oversight of Iran’s actions within the confines of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“I opposed President Obama’s nuclear deal,” Young said. “Rewarding the largest state sponsor of terror with billions of dollars in exchange for mere limits to an illegal nuclear weapons program was shortsighted. Such appeasement set a dangerous global precedent. That said, the bad deal is in place and a nuclear-armed Iran remains the biggest, long-term threat to our national security and that of our allies. Albeit quieter than ISIS, the Islamic Republic of Iran is a well-financed, terrorist state that possesses dangerous capabilities along with the intention to use those illicit capabilities to export terror around the world.”
Young, a former member of the Marine Corps, served as an intelligence officer tasked with leading teams of analysts to synthesize incoming intelligence to form a broader picture of existing threats.
“Doing intel work in the Marine Corps taught me the strategic value of dedicating a specialized team to connect the dots and piece together how all the data points on the map relate to one another,” Young said. “We cannot lose sight of the threat posed by a nuclear Iran, which is why we need an oversight body in the House that can mimic this role and sound the alarm when Iran cheats the deal.”
Under the terms of the Obama administration’s nuclear agreement, Iran is receiving billions of dollars in sanctions relief. When Congress debated the nuclear deal, both sides of the aisle warned that it was dangerous to embolden the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world both economically and militarily.
The United Nations has also reported that Iran violated an October United Nations Security Council resolution by test-firing a missile that was capable of nuclear warhead delivery.
“While the Obama administration is content trying to sell haphazard, reactive national security policies to the American public during times of crises, I know in a representative democracy like ours we must work to build consensus and be forthright with the American people,” Young said. “Only then can our nation stand united against our enemies, prepared to take action when necessary to keep our families safe and secure.”