Staff Reports
Victims of state-sponsored terrorism and their families stormed Capitol Hill this week — not with signs for a photo-op, but to demand a simple, sober thing: pay what Congress and U.S. courts already ordered. They want the U.S. Victims of State‑Sponsored Terrorism Fund (USVSST Fund) refilled and they want President Donald Trump and Congress to make sure any Iranian frozen assets are used first to satisfy American judgments. That is a straightforward ask. Washington should stop pretending it’s complicated when the answer is moral and legal.
Victims Rally and the Real Ask: Refill the USVSST Fund
The gathering in Upper Senate Park centered on a narrow, urgent demand: push H.R. 1530, the American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act, and press the White House to condition any release or transfer of Iranian frozen assets on clearing victims’ judgments. These are not abstract grievances. Families of 9/11 victims and other survivors already hold court decisions awarding damages. The USVSST Fund promised payouts — and the fund’s balance has plunged, leaving people who were promised relief waiting. Victims are asking Congress and President Donald Trump to make restitution a priority, not an afterthought in a diplomatic ledger.
The Money Shortage: GAO, Special Master, and H.R. 1530
Here are the hard facts: the Government Accountability Office found the Fund’s receipts dropped after 2020 and that the balance was too low to authorize an extra payment round in 2024. Special Master Mary Patrice Brown has said the Fund has paid more than $10 billion since 2015 and is planning a seventh distribution with at least $275 million anticipated — but that is a far cry from meeting ongoing court judgments or from the billions being discussed in relation to Iran. H.R. 1530 is the vehicle victims and their allies are pushing: it would give Congress authority to channel certain assets into the USVSST Fund so victims can finally get paid.
What President Trump and Congress Must Do
This is where politics meets basic justice. If America is negotiating a memorandum of understanding that could free up Iranian oil revenue or frozen assets, the deal must include a clear clause: no money moves until American victims are made whole. Rep. Laura Gillen, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, and Rep. Mike Lawler have already put their names to bipartisan warnings. If negotiators let Tehran walk out with cash while U.S. citizens wait for court-ordered compensation, Washington will have chosen diplomacy over decency — and victims will never forget it. President Donald Trump should direct negotiators to lock in victims’ claims as a precondition. Simple.
Legal Hurdles, But No Moral Excuse — A Call to Action
Yes, moving frozen assets across borders and through court orders is messy. GAO explains the legal and international hurdles. But messy is not the same as impossible. Congress can act through H.R. 1530 and related measures, and the Special Master and DOJ can coordinate the legal work. If Washington wants to sell peace as a trade-off, it must not do so on the backs of Americans who lost everything to state-sponsored terror. Lawmakers, the White House, and Special Master Mary Patrice Brown should prioritize victims, pass the needed statutory fixes, and treat restitution as non-negotiable. That’s the national honor test — and on that score, our leaders should not be shy about passing it.
