US passes bill on Iran sanctions, IRGC

PRESS TV reports: The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would tighten sanctions on Iran's energy sector and recognize the IRGC as terrorists.

According to US media, Tuesday the US House of Representatives passed a bill only hours before Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's UN General Assembly address.

Prepared by Chairman of the US House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Lantos, the bill was approved by a vote of 397-16.

Foreign firms, including American subsidiaries which are active in Iran's gas and oil sectors, would be sanctioned.

US lawmakers called on the US State Department to list the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps among terrorist groups and impose economic sanctions on companies affiliated with this organization.

The bill, known as the Counter-Proliferation Act, would ban the import of Iranian goods into the United States. The Bush administration can ignore the non-binding bill.
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To fully appreciate the power of AIPAC in Congress, one needs only to look at the following data: (taken from Govtrack):

Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. PENCE, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. BERMAN, and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) introduced the bill. The list of co-sponsors is rather remarkable:

Mr. WEXLER, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. FERGUSON, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. BOREN, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. MCCAUL of Texas, Mr. HOLT, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. TIBERI, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. KLINE of Minnesota, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. COHEN, Mr. KIRK, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. LINDER, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. MITCHELL, Mr. WELLER of Illinois, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Mr. CARNEY, Mr. BONNER, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. DOYLE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. DRAKE, Mr. KLEIN of Florida, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. GORDON of Tennessee, Mr. GRAVES, Mr. SAXTON, Mrs. BONO, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. WOLF, Mr. BERRY, Mr. COLE of Oklahoma, Mr. MATHESON, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. DENT, Mr. PORTER, Mr. MAHONEY of Florida, Ms. PRYCE of Ohio, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. MACK, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. COSTA, Mr. BILBRAY, Mr. WELCH of Vermont, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. CHABOT, Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN, Mr. SESTAK, Mr. WEINER, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. RENZI, Mr. REICHERT, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. SIRES, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. WAMP, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. EHLERS, Mrs. CUBIN, Mr. SKELTON, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. LATHAM, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. FEENEY, Mr. NUNES, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. MELANCON, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. BACA, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Ms. GIFFORDS, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Mr. PATRICK MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Ms. HOOLEY, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. SALI, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. BARROW, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Ms. FOXX, Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Ms. BEAN, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey, Mr. TERRY, Mr. WALDEN of Oregon, Mr. CAMPBELL of California, Mr. RUSH, Mr. GINGREY, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. FORBES, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. HOYER, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. WALSH of New York, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. LINCOLN DAVIS of Tennessee, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. WYNN, Mr. REHBERG, Mr. LAMPSON, Mr. COOPER, Mr. FOSSELLA, Mr. CAMP of Michigan, Mr. WILSON of Ohio, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. JINDAL, Mr. POE, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. RAMSTAD, Mr. SALAZAR, Mr. SMITH of Nebraska, Ms. WATSON, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ARCURI, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida, Mr. NADLER, Mr. BAKER, Mr. HASTINGS of Washington, Mr. HARE, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. EMANUEL, Mr. MICHAUD, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr. HELLER, Mr. FARR, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. ELLSWORTH, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. MARCHANT, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. JORDAN of Ohio, Ms. CASTOR, Mr. BOYD of Florida, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. FILNER, Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. CARTER, Mr. KIND, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Mr. HAYES, Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. HODES, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Mr. BRALEY of Iowa, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. KAGEN, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. ROSKAM, Mr. SPACE, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. ROSS, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. UPTON, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. COBLE, Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. BAIRD, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. DAVID DAVIS of Tennessee, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. KUHL of New York, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. HALL of New York, Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mrs. CAPITO, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. TURNER, Mr. MCCARTHY of California, Mr. HILL, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. SHULER, Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico, Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. MICA, Mr. KELLER of Florida, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. ALTMIRE, Mr. HASTERT, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. WALZ of Minnesota, Mr. REYNOLDS, Mr. FORTUN.AE6O, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. WICKER, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. DICKS, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. PITTS, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. LEWIS of California, Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California, and Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts

Here are the names of the only Representatives who dared to vote against the bill:

Flake, Jeff [R]
Miller, George [D]
Lee, Barbara [D]
Stark, Fortney [D]
Abercrombie, Neil [D]
Gilchrest, Wayne [R]
Bartlett, Roscoe [R]
Olver, John [D]
Conyers, John [D]
Ellison, Keith [D]
Hinchey, Maurice [D]
Blumenauer, Earl [D]
Paul, Ronald [R]
McDermott, James [D]
Baldwin, Tammy [D]
Moore, Gwen [D]

For the full text of the bill click here