Carter, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and three members of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet testified at a committee hearing.
Advertisement
In a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday, Kerry warned that should Congress vote down the deal, it would collapse entirely because the U.S. wouldn’t be able to provide the sanctions relief that Iran is due to receive in return for curbs on its enrichment of uranium, reductions in the number of its centrifuges, submission to intensive inspections and other requirements.
Obama personally made his pitch Wednesday during a meeting with House Democrats at the White House. “Instead, they will walk away from the tough multilateral sanctions regime that they’ve helped to put in place, and we will have squandered the best chance we have to solve this problem through peaceful means”.
“We have worked bilaterally with countries around the world to do things against their own economic interests because they agreed with us on the imperative of stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon”, Lew added.
Congress is expected to vote in September to prevent Mr Obama from lifting sanctions imposed previously by politicians, a step that would probably cause Iran to walk away from the agreement.
The White House faces not only great opposition from Republicans, but also skepticism from some Democrats, like Sen. AIPAC, along with some other pro-Israel advocacy groups, will spend approximately $20 million to fund a national television advertising campaign to inform the public “about the dangers of the proposed Iran deal”, according to officials in the pro-Israel camp. “I wouldn’t make it out to be any more“, Walker said.
Engel, whose Westchester County, N.Y., district includes a large Jewish population, said that his office receives regular phone calls from constituents urging him to vote against the deal. And I am confident that under this agreement and with President Obama’s commitment they are not going to secure a nuclear weapon. “I think the administration is one-by-one picking off some of the most important lingering questions from Democrats”.
Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-New Jersey, said: “I’m leaning yes”.
Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Illinois, hasn’t decided either.
If the deal is subsequently killed by the US Congress, it certainly would affect the US “and our credibility to go and tell China, India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey and Taiwan that they needed to go back to curtailing their purchases of Iranian oil”.
Mr Kerry spoke for the second time in a week – part of the Obama administration’s all-out campaign to sell the accord – and picked up critical support for the deal from congressman Sander Levin, a strong supporter of Israel who referred to his Jewish background in announcing his decision.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reiterated Thursday that she’s confident any presidential veto of a disapproval measure of the deal will be sustained.
“I can tell you, I do”, Graham said. John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“It’s very clear to me that the agreement is the best path forward”, two-term Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan, who counts hostage and Marine Corps veteran Amir Hekmati as a constituent, said in an interview.
Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) over what Republicans have dubbed “secret” portions of the Iran deal – confidential agreements between Iran and the worldwide Atomic Energy Agency.
Advertisement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Army Radio on Tuesday night (in Hebrew) that Kerry “really has no reason to come here”.
