Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) expressed strong words of opposition during recent debate in the House to a proposal that had been cosponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and would have lifted a declaration of emergency made by then-President Barack Obama related to violence seen in Libya.
Like other declarations of emergency from a president, the declaration Greene and her cosponsors were targeting provided the legal foundation for economic sanctions blocking the access of individuals and groups of concern to financial resources. Lawler claimed in his remarks that $18 million had been blocked under the sanctions related to Libya just within the preceding two years.
He also expressed concerns about the fate of a fund designated to support U.S. victims of state-sponsored terrorism, and, more specifically, individuals suffering in connection to the 9/11 terror attacks. This fund is supported by monies brought in by the U.S. government in connection to violations of the sanctions resting on the legal foundation of the declarations of emergency that these Republicans were targeting. In general, presidential declarations of emergency have been extended on an annual basis by the issuing president and subsequent presidents. That list includes Donald Trump, who Lawler pointed to having extended the declaration related to Libya.
“One of the most critical sanctions that would be removed if Congress passed this joint resolution is against Saif Qadhafi, one of Qadhafi’s sons, who has well-known links to the Wagner Group and is wanted for murdering Libyan civilians,” Lawler told Congress. The Wagner Group is a paramilitary organization connected to the Russian government that has also been involved in Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. It was the head of that organization who recently launched the widely publicized but ill-fated rebellion against Putin’s leadership.
“Again, this money would empower Putin’s regime and secure Russia’s interests in Libya, a strategically important country along NATO’s southern flank,” Lawler argued. “I also, again, want to mention the importance of the U.S. state-sponsored terrorism fund. There is no question that this money is better served by helping 9/11 families than quite literally financing terrorists.” He subsequently characterized the general nature of the resolutions being considered as “abhorrent.” Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), the main sponsor, countered during his subsequent remarks by contesting that deteriorating circumstances in Libya substantially threatened the U.S. and by characterizing the office of the president as generally going outside legally mandated bounds of power. The House rejected the resolution.
