Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., center, shakes hands with the committee’s ranking member Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., on Capitol Hill in Washington
Legislation empowering Congress to reject an emerging Iran nuclear pact is expected to sail through both houses of Congress, leaving President Barack Obama with the tough task of selling the deal to skeptical lawmakers.
The legislation, unanimously approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would give lawmakers a say on what could be a historic deal aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Under the pact, the influential Islamic nation in the Middle East would get relief from economic sanctions stifling its economy.
“I don’t know how you cut a deal with the devil and think the devil is going to keep his end of the deal,” House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday (yesterday, Macau time) after Obama bowed to pressure from Republicans and Democrats and agreed to sign compromise legislation.
The rare and reluctant agreement between the president and the Republican-led Congress came after the White House maintained for weeks that congressional interference could jeopardize sensitive negotiations with Tehran. The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China reached a preliminary framework agreement with Iran on April 2 to curb its nuclear program and hope to finalize a pact by June 30.
Despite the resistance from the White House, lawmakers from both parties insisted that Congress have a formal role in reviewing and possibly voting down any deal.
“I have always supported congressional review of any final agreement with Iran,” said Sen. Ben Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, who emphasized that the bill will not permit any legislative action until after the White House presents Congress with any final deal that can be reached to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.
Echoing Boehner’s skepticism, Cardin said “there is no trust when it comes to Iran.” He said that’s why the final agreement must be verifiable and transparent, and that it’s clear that any violations would result in the restoration of the strongest possible sanctions.
The committee approved the compromise bill, 19-0, shortly after White House spokesman Josh Earnest conveyed the president’s decision to remove his veto threat. The bill is now likely to clear both houses of Congress. It’s expected to come before the full Senate as soon as next week.
Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker said Secretary of State John Kerry was lobbying against the measure just a few hours before the vote. Corker said the White House’s sudden support was dictated by the number of senators — Republicans and Democrats — backing the measure.
The White House said that the changes made to the bill made it possible for Obama to support it. The president’s foreign policy legacy would be burnished by a deal with Iran.
Earnest said the White House is not “particularly thrilled” about the legislation. He said the administration would withhold final judgment on the bill while it works its way through Congress, but that in its current form, Obama would sign it.
The revised bill shortens from 60 to 30 days the time that Congress will have to review any final nuclear deal. The review period could stretch to more than 80 days depending on various factors, such as when Congress gets details of any agreement. Deb Riechmann and Laurie Kellman, Washington, AP
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