IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 454 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives relating to the exercise 
of presidential waiver authority of certain sanctions imposed against 
Iran under United States law. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 1, 2015 
Mr. RUSSELL (for himself, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mrs. 
BLACK, Mr. HURD of Texas, Mr. ROUZER, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. YOHO, Mr. 
GRAVES of Louisiana, Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana, Mr. HARDY, Mr. BUR-
GESS, Mr. DESJARLAIS, and Mr. LOUDERMILK) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives relat-
ing to the exercise of presidential waiver authority of 
certain sanctions imposed against Iran under United 
States law. 
Whereas the United States, through Acts of Congress, has 
imposed economic sanctions against Iran, in an effort to 
change the Government of Iran’s support for acts of 
international terrorism, violation of human rights, weap-
ons and missile development and acquisition, export of 
arms and terror promoting regional instability, and devel-
opment of a nuclear program; 
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•HRES 454 IH 
Whereas Congress has passed several pieces of legislation re-
lating to sanctions against Iran, as well as other legisla-
tion under which sanctions against Iran have been ap-
plied, including the International Security and Develop-
ment Cooperation Act of 1985, the Antiterrorism and Ef-
fective Death Penalty Act of 1996, the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Iran Sanctions Act 
of 1996, the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export En-
hancement Act of 2000, the Comprehensive Iran Sanc-
tions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, the 
Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, the 
Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 
2012, section 1245 of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2012, and the National Emer-
gencies Act; 
Whereas Congress granted presidential waiver authority of 
certain sanctions in these laws; 
Whereas Congress provided such presidential waiver authority 
for extraordinary circumstances conditional solely upon 
improvement of and elimination of behaviors specifically 
cited in these laws; 
Whereas the intent of Congress was not to provide any Presi-
dent with the means to waive sanctions against Iran writ 
large; 
Whereas Congress clearly provided such presidential waiver 
authority to change the actions of the Government of 
Iran and to curb Iranian acts of terror, Iranian acts of 
human rights violations, Iranian arms exports in proxy 
wars of instability, and development of Iranian nuclear 
capacity; 
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•HRES 454 IH 
Whereas Congress clearly did not authorize any President in 
the course of implemented and active sanctions in the 
current or any subsequent administration to use such 
presidential waiver authority, or a multifaceted combina-
tion of waivers, to enter into a treaty relating to Iran’s 
nuclear program; 
Whereas article I, section 8, of the Constitution clearly states 
that the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations 
rests with Congress; and 
Whereas article II, section 2, of the Constitution clearly 
states that the President only has the power, by and with 
the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, 
provided two thirds of the Senators present concur: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) reaffirms that granting of presidential waiv-
er authority for certain sanctions against Iran by 
Congress was to be used when specific behavioral 
improvements have been met by Iran; 
(2) reaffirms its strong commitment to pre-
venting the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran as 
the premise for such sanctions and presidential waiv-
er authority; 
(3) reaffirms its intent not to provide presi-
dential waiver authority for such sanctions for pur-
poses of conducting negotiations with Iran that do 
not result in the prevention of a nuclear-armed Iran; 
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•HRES 454 IH 
(4) reaffirms that the President does not have 
the authority as granted by Congress to change cur-
rent law by exercising presidential waiver authority 
for certain sanctions on a general basis for purposes 
of entering into a treaty relating to Iran’s nuclear 
program; and 
(5) reaffirms that exercising presidential waiver 
authority to grant relief from certain sanctions 
against Iran in an effort to change the Government 
of Iran’s support for acts of international terrorism, 
violation of human rights, weapons and missile de-
velopment and acquisition, export of arms and terror 
promoting regional instability, and development of a 
nuclear program shall not be recognized by Con-
gress. 
Æ 
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