Incoming Congress' first order of business: Win release of the Hamas hostages

As the new U.S. Congress convened, the 98 hostages being held by Hamas – including seven Americans – must be an immediate priority. 

The fact that the 118th Congress failed to secure the release of American citizens held for over a year in Hamas dungeons in Gaza will forever remain a stain on its record. The 119th session would do well to advocate for their release in actions and not just words. 

Our newly elected officials should wield the full power of both chambers to support President-elect Trump’s sentiments that there will be "hell to pay" if the hostages aren’t released by his inauguration and follow up with those that defy the demand of the president. 

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While the negotiations with Hamas flow mostly through the Oval Office, Congressional bodies such as the Foreign Affairs, Finance, Appropriations, and Judiciary committees, as well as individual House leaders, must play a more crucial role in demonstrating there is no daylight between the incoming administration and Congress on the topic of U.S. hostages.

The Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee will undoubtedly play a key role as the only committee with jurisdiction to deliberate and report on treaties submitted by the president to the Senate for consideration. The committee can directly summon ambassadors involved in the hostage negotiations such as those representing Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, to demand to know why U.S. citizens are still being held hostage. It can also make direct correlation between countries actively seeking with the U.S. long-term strategic defense treaties as in the case of Saudi Arabia to actively supporting the release of American hostages.

As for the Judiciary Committee, it has a critical role in providing oversight over the Department of Justice and the agencies under the department's jurisdiction, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. 

Forty-seven U.S. citizens were killed by Hamas during the brutal Oct. 7, 2023 attack, and the judiciary should enforce indictments of those individuals accused of supporting the murder of Americans abroad who are being hosted by U.S. allies such as Turkey and Qatar. 

Furthermore, the committee should further expand the Anti-Terrorism Act, enabling families of victims to sue in a civil court commercial entities connected to these crimes. This would send a clear message: beware those that believe they can support terrorist activities unnoticed. It should also hold the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) accountable, demanding it puts timely and significant sanctions on entities supporting terrorist organizations.

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The Senate Appropriations Committee also has a role to play as defined by the Constitution, which requires "appropriations made by law" as a condition for expenditures made by the U.S. Treasury. In other words: Follow the money. Countries seeking U.S. financial aid should be unreservedly respectful of U.S. demands, especially on the topic of unlawful detention of Americans. For example, in September, the committee approved $1.3 billion in aid to Egypt. Such aid should have been conditioned on Cairo destroying all tunnels leading from Egypt into Gaza, which were used to transfer the very weapons utilized to kill U.S. citizens and to take them hostage.

The new Congress has a moral and legal obligation to ensure the return of the seven American hostages. What power does a global superpower have if it cannot even secure the release of its citizens from a floundering terror group? It must show its commitment in the "House of the People" via all of its political, financial, and judicial levers in order to help bring the American and all the other hostages home. 

By taking a more vigorous approach vis a vis countries and commercial entities that have a proven capability of influencing Hamas, the U.S. will demonstrate its commitment to its citizens and its unwillingness to tolerate terrorism and human rights abuses. 

As we and countless others watch and wait, hopeful for the return of our loved ones, it is imperative that the U.S. with the active support of Congress act decisively, and without delay. I have a dream that next week, when I attend President Trump’s inauguration, he will say he secured the release of all of the U.S. hostages, just like President Reagan did at his inauguration in 1981.