{UAH} Pojim/WBK: Effort To Kill The Iran Deal Dies In The Senate
|
1:56 PM |
No comments |
Effort To Kill The Iran Deal Dies In The Senate
WASHINGTON -- The two-month Republican-led effort to kill the Iranian nuclear accord in Congress failed Thursday, after 42 Democrats filibustered a procedural vote related to the nuclear deal.
The procedural measure, which required 60 votes to pass, would have allowed the Senate to then cast a separate vote against the nuclear deal and rescind the president's ability to waive some sanctions against Iran. That second vote, known as a resolution of disapproval, would have required only a simple majority to pass -- meaning that it could have succeeded even with little support from Democrats.
The minority Democratic Party pushed for a 60-vote threshold on the resolution of disapproval so that the resolution would not be able to move forward without broad bipartisan support. When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rejected the request, the Democrats moved to block the vote from occurring.
The decision to filibuster the procedural vote and block the actual vote on the nuclear deal was a tough choice for some Democrats who support the Iran nuclear agreement but object on principle to the idea of obstructing a vote on a major national security issue.
Shortly after announcing his support for the nuclear deal, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said he wanted to see an up-or-down vote on the issue, suggesting that he would not join his party in filibustering the procedural vote.
His decision to join in the filibuster was likely influenced by McConnell's unwillingness to establish a 60-vote threshold, rather than a simple majority, on the resolution of disapproval. In the Senate, requiring 60 votes on significant pieces of legislation has become common practice. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who opposes the nuclear deal and helped draft the legislation that guaranteed Congress the right to vote on the agreement, admitted on Tuesday that he always anticipated the resolution would require 60 votes to pass.
Thursday's action in the Senate effectively renders moot the ongoing legislative process in the House. Opponents of the nuclear accord would have needed a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate to kill the agreement.
Nevertheless, House Republicans are pursuing a three-pronged vote on the Iran deal, partially aimed at finding President Barack Obama in violation of the law. The first vote, expected Thursday evening, will be on a resolution declaring that Congress's two-month review period of the nuclear deal has not actually started yet, because lawmakers do not have access to a set of confidential agreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency over its investigation into Iran's alleged past nuclear weapons development. Because of legislation passed in the spring, the president is obligated to provide Congress with the complete text of the nuclear agreement with Iran.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) suggested on Thursday that it might be possible to sue the president over the IAEA agreements. But those documents are off-limits even to the Obama administration, which maintains that they are separate from the broader nuclear deal.
Though several Senate opponents of the nuclear accord have expressed dissatisfaction about not being able to see the IAEA documents, they have indicated they will not follow the House's plan.
"I think the best way to express your displeasure with not getting all the documents is to vote against the deal itself, not to raise some other issues," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told reporters on Tuesday.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
Comments
0 comments:
Post a Comment