Editorial: Pass Marc Fogel Act and Senate bill to stop tax penalties on U.S. hostages

Imagine being in prison on the other side of the world for months or years. The charges are politically disingenuous or outright lies. The government is hostile, and you don't know when you might ever see your family again. Then, finally, your prayers are answered and you get to come home.

And you are promptly billed for the taxes — with penalties and interest — you didn't pay while you were caged.

It has been two months since the high-stakes poker game that saw multiple countries making deals to shuffle 26 prisoners.

The complex negotiations brokered through Turkey brought home Russian-held prisoners such as Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. It left behind Oakmont resident and Butler native Marc Fogel, 63, a teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow.

But, when the Americans arrived home, they barely had time to settle in before walking into financial issues such as tax bills and hits on their credit reports, according to Reason magazine.

It isn't new. When Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian was released from Iranian custody, he faced a tax bill inflated up to $22,000 by fees. Even after dismissing what they could, the IRS still was legally bound to demand $6,000, he told NPR. That was what prompted U.S. Sen. Chris Coons to introduce the Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act.

It was introduced in March and promptly referred to the Finance Committee. Nothing has happened since.

If that sounds familiar, it's the same kind of history seen with the Marc Fogel Act in the House of Representatives. That legislation, which would require the State Department to report to Congress about Americans not designated as wrongfully detained, was introduced in June 2023. It was referred to Foreign Affairs, where it has sat with no action for 16 months.

The bills both enjoy bipartisan support in chambers where the parties agree on little. Of the six cosponsors for the Senate bill, four are Republicans signing onto a bill authored by a Democrat. The Marc Fogel Act was introduced by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters; four Democrats joined, including Rep. Chris DeLuzio and Rep. Summer Lee.

Both issues are important beyond what brought them to the Capitol. There are dozens of Americans held by hostile governments or terrorist organizations.

Some are simply hostages, such as the Americans held by Hamas for the past year. Fogel was convicted of possession of 17 grams of medical marijuana legally dispensed in Pennsylvania, which he has admitted. However, his 14-year sentence is disproportionate even in Russia and suggests he is held because he is American.

The Marc Fogel Act and the Stop Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act would protect U.S. citizens overseas should they be detained and home when they return. The bills need to progress through the process quickly and seamlessly.

And we continue to call upon the U.S. government to prioritize bringing Marc Fogel home.