On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 23, the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act. This bill, introduced by Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL), imposes sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it investigates, arrests, detains, or prosecutes any protected person of the United States and our allies, including Israel. Congressman Biggs is an original cosponsor of the bill.
On May 20, 2024, the ICC announced unprecedented arrest warrant applications for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. In response, Congressman Biggs introduced a resolution reaffirming that neither the U.S. nor Israel are parties to the Rome Statute—the treaty that established the ICC. As such, neither nation recognizes the jurisdiction or legitimacy of the ICC.
Language from Congressman Biggs’s aforementioned resolution was included in the final text for H.R. 23.
“The ICC seeks to exercise authority it does not have, in jurisdiction from which it is excluded,” said Congressman Biggs.
“As the only member of Congress who was in attendance at the Rome Conference where the ICC document originated, I can witness that the ICC is anti-America and anti-Israel.
“I am pleased to have contributed language to H.R. 23 and to vote yes on sanctions against the ICC.”
