“It is for these reasons that I will vote to disapprove the agreement and, if called upon, would vote to override a veto“.
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“I support the JCPOA because it cuts off Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon and gives worldwide inspectors unprecedented access to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and supply chains”, Reed, Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. Is Menendez taking the right stance on the nuclear deal?
“This will be my name on it”, the President said. “His words must be taken with the greatest seriousness as the principled reflections of an experienced political leader who deeply fears the consequences of this deal“. Even though Republicans control Congress and nearly uniformly oppose the agreement, they are unlikely to sway enough Democrats to form the two-thirds super-majority needed for a veto override.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine’s 1st Congressional District has voiced support for the deal.
“I look at this as a vote of conscience, one that is going to be highly considered”, Corker said in an interview Wednesday from Chattanooga, Tenn.
“I came to my decision after countless hours of briefings, discussion and analysis”, he said.
He even targeted Obama’s signature message of “hope”.
“A vote for this deal means more money for Iranian terrorism“, Robert Bartlett, a retired staff sergeant who was injured by an Iranian bomb while serving in Iraq in 2005, says in the ads. A House whip count also from The Hill shows 13 Democrats voting or leaning towards voting “No”.
Sen. Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted that Iran has employed “deceit, deception and delay” to advance “to the point of being a threshold nuclear state”, and therefore can not be trusted.
Mr. Menendez said, however, that Iran might go along if it continues to receive part of its frozen assets, sweetened by a one-time release of funds as a “good-faith down payment” on the talks. “I believe there is a pathway to a better deal”. Ten House Democrats have announced their opposition.
“If the United States does not follow through with this multilateral agreement, it would not only damage our nation’s global leadership, but result in a much more nuclear-capable Iran free to proceed as they wish without the thorough oversight this agreement allows”, he warned. Obama faces a tough fight in Congress defending the deal, which is also opposed by most Republicans.
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According to the Associated Press, four Massachusetts lawmakers have not yet staked out a position on the deal. It was the first time someone publicly claimed where Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, stands on the deal.
