Schumer’s announcement comes as U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the House minority leader, labors to build a firewall in the House in support of the Iran deal, which has been denounced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
Advertisement
“Senator Schumer at least read the agreement, talked to the experts who were involved in negotiating, spent time talking to experts who understand the nuclear basis for some of the strategic conclusions that were reached by our negotiators”, Earnest said.
“In future years, many would argue as long as Iran appears to be complying with the agreement, America can not insist on modifications or extensions of nuclear restrictions”, he said.
And while Schumer says he went through the deal with a “fine-tooth comb” before deciding, some believe he waited until the Democrats seemed to have secured enough votes for the deal before he announced his position.
Among his concerns, Schumer pointed to a possible 24-day wait before inspectors are allowed access to Iran’s nuclear sites.
Sherman, a senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, joins Reps.
Anonymous/AP Josh Earnest, President Obama’s spokesman, all but encouraged Senate Democrats to consider Schumer’s opposition to the pact when they vote next year to elect a new Democratic leader. Obama will then veto it. The sole question is whether the Republicans have enough votes to override the veto.
The next day, Obama criticized the opponents of the July 14 agreement as “lobbyists” spending millions of dollars to disseminate the same hawkish rhetoric that led to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
“We acknowledged, in the context of those discussions, that this would be an economic sacrifice that the people of India and that the economy of India would have to make”, Mr Earnest said.
California’s two Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, who are both Jewish, have come out in support of the deal.
Obama continued, “I think that he tweeted that in response to me stating a fact, which is, is that if we were confronted with a situation in which we could not resolve this issue diplomatically, that we could militarily take out much of Iran’s military infrastructure”.
Schumer added, “Therefore, I will vote to disapprove the agreement, not because I believe war is a viable or desirable option, nor to challenge the path of diplomacy“.
Hardliners, he said, are opposed to any cooperation with the global community, and Republicans have an “ideological commitment” to not getting a deal done.
The timing of Schumer’s announcement, as lawmakers head back to their districts, is uncomfortable both for him and for the administration. The disapproval vote will be held when Congress returns from recess in September.
Obama has promised a veto if the resolution is passed by the House and Senate.
Advertisement
Two prominent House Democrats have also come out in opposition to the deal, while a number of their senate counterparts remain undecided. Kirsten Gillibrand. Other Democrats who voiced their support of the deal were Sens.
