SE North Carolina News

The Biden administration has not responded to a bipartisan request from Senator Ted Budd and 11 other senators to establish a reward for information leading to the capture of Hamas leaders. The request, made on September 26, 2024, called for a reward of up to $25 million under the State Department's Rewards for Justice program. This initiative aimed at bringing Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas leaders or operatives responsible for the murder and kidnapping of Americans on October 7, 2023, to justice.

The deadline for a response was set for today, marking one year since the attacks. As of now, no reply has been received from the administration, nor has any reward been issued.

Senator Budd's letter was co-signed by Senators Thom Tillis, Roger Wicker, Joni Ernst, Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Kevin Cramer, Katie Britt, Jacky Rosen, Deb Fischer, and Lindsey Graham.

In his statement regarding the situation, Senator Budd remarked: "One year ago, Hamas terrorists murdered and kidnapped dozens of American citizens. After 365 days, the State Department has failed to issue a bounty that would help bring these terrorists to justice. The fact that the Biden-Harris administration continues to leave tools unused shows a complete disregard for the safety and security of American citizens around the world."

Roger Wicker also commented: "The Biden-Harris administration should have posted the reward for these monsters’ capture months ago. They are not using every tool at their disposal to defeat Hamas."

The full text of their letter addressed Secretary Blinken directly:

"We write requesting the immediate authorization of a reward of up to $25 million under the State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program for information that leads to the arrest of, locates or disrupts the financial support for Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas leaders or operatives responsible for the murder and kidnapping of Americans on October 7th. The United States must use every tool and resource at its disposal as leverage to secure the release of hostages...and bring those terrorists responsible to justice."

They further emphasized Congress's intent with establishing such programs in combating international terrorism through rewards.