During the past week, Washington was focused on the effort to elect a
Speaker of the House of Representatives. With that task now complete,
we're sure our elected officials would agree that it's time for
Congress to get to the hard work of governing this nation. As they do
so, here are a few items they might consider bearing in mind in the
context of U.S. foreign policy.

Iranian Drone Manufacturer Sanctioned

Late last week, the Treasury Department announced that new sanctions are
being imposed against six people associated with Iran's Quds Aviation
Industry. This company has played a very significant role in Russia's
use of drones against the Ukrainian people.

Secretary of State Blinken noted in a statement, "Iran must cease its
support for Russia's unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, and we
will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt and delay
these transfers and impose costs on actors engaged in this activity."

We agree with Mr. Blinken's comments, but if the Biden administration
wants to achieve real results, they need to back the Stop Iranian Drones
Act (which we expect to be re-introduced in the current Congress in due
course), and the administration also needs to ratchet up the diplomatic
and economic pressure aimed at curbing the Islamic Republic's nuclear
program and support for terror.

Chemical Terror Attack Thwarted

Speaking of Iranian support for terror, this week, two Iranians were
arrested by German security forces after the U.S. government tipped off
the Germans to the individuals' plans to carry out a terror attack in
Germany using chemical agents.

While much attention is rightly focused on Iran's nuclear weapons
ambitions, their support for terror is a clear and present danger to the
free world. There are no depths to the Islamic Republic's depravity.
Iranian agents and proxies have plotted and, at times, executed
terrorist activities in the Middle East, Europe, South America and the
United States.

We thank God the plot in Germany was undermined, but we view it as a
stark reminder that Iran and its terrorist-agents seek to kill those who
do not see the world as they do anywhere, anytime and by any means
necessary.

The Biden Administration's Nonsensical PA Policy

In late December, the Biden Administration informed Congress that the
State Department was imposing travel bans on leaders of the Palestinian
Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for
failing to live up to commitments to condemn terrorism against Israel.
In the very same statement, the State Department informed Congress that
they were waving those travel bans - citing U.S. national security
interests. Seem a bit ridiculous, but don't worry, there's more.

There are laws on the books stating that certain PA officials cannot
travel to the U.S. and cannot spend money in the U.S. The Supreme Court
has upheld these laws. Despite this, the Biden administration got the
Justice Department to issue a memo stating that the administration
"may reasonably assess that being prevented from hosting the PLO
delegation in Washington would seriously impair the president's
diplomatic efforts."

In other words, the Biden administration has given themselves permission
to break the law. Moreover, in recent months, Team Biden has twice (!)
made the claim that it is in the vital interests of American national
security to do business with the terrorist-backing PA/PLO.

The Biden administration is making the same mistakes with Iran and the
PA. They are trying to compartmentalize issues - or ignore them
completely. The result is an emboldened Iran willing to engage in
chemical attacks against innocent Germans and aid Russia in murdering
innocent Ukrainians.

Likewise, the PA effectively enjoys American largess - the Biden
administration has supplied more than $800 million in aid to
Palestinians since taking office - while continuing to support terror
(which the Biden administration completely acknowledges). And if
that's not enough, the leaders of the PA and PLO are welcome to come
to New York and grab a slice of pizza if they so choose.

Appeasement doesn't work. Even when you double and triple down on it.
One would think that after two years of seeing their approach fail Team
Biden would reverse course. Sadly, that's not the case, and the world
is suffering for it. Congress must step in, and in the coming year,
we'll be there to ensure they do.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team <[link removed]>

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