To hear Republicans in Congress tell it, President Barack Obama trampled all over precedent and the Constitution with his $1.7 billion cash payout to Iran.

The State Department first announced the payment in January. It has gained renewed attention, however, in the wake of Wall Street Journal reports linking the payout to the release of four Americans detained in Iran.

On their first day back from summer recess Sept. 6, Republicans in both the House and Senate introduced legislation to censure the president over what they call "ransom" payments and block any future ones. Congressional leaders have vowed a vote on the measure this month, forcing Democrats to make a painful political choice right before the November presidential election.

"What on earth was the White House thinking?" House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., said in a statement announcing his bill. "Sending the world’s leading state sponsor of terror pallets of untraceable cash isn’t just terrible policy. It’s incredibly reckless, and it only puts bigger targets on the backs of Americans."