Congress Skeptical But Largely Powerless to Scuttle Iran Nuclear Deal

Lawmakers must assemble a veto-proof majority if they hope to kill the the Obama administration's agreement with Iran. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he is skeptical of the nuclear deal with Iran announced Tuesday.

The Obama administration after years of negotiations, countless extensions and blown deadlines has reached its nuclear deal with Iran, but the historic agreement faces another hurdle in Congress, where lawmakers have 60 days to review it and cast an up-or-down vote.

Initial reactions on Tuesday suggested lawmakers from both parties remained dubious about working with Tehran, with powerful senators revealing little about the possibility of their supporting the accord to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international economic sanctions.
“I want to read the agreement in detail and fully understand it, but I begin from a place of deep skepticism that the deal actually meets the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, struck a similar tone, staying out of the politics of what is certain to be a divisive debate on Capitol Hill in the coming weeks and months and saying only that Congress had the responsibility to “vigorously and judiciously review” a deal.
“There is no trust when it comes to Iran,” Cardin said. “In our deliberations we need to ensure the negotiations resulted in a comprehensive, long-lasting, and verifiable outcome that also provides for snap-back of sanctions should Iran deviate from its commitments. Congress faces a solemn charge that I expect will be fulfilled to the best of our abilities and at the highest of standards beginning today.”
Cardin and Corker crafted the compromise bill giving Congress a say in the final deal, and President Barack Obama signed the bill to preserve the fragile negotiations against congressional interference. The bill allows Congress to pass a measure of approval, a measure of disapproval, or do nothing. It also prevents Obama from lifting sanctions against Iran until lawmakers have reviewed the deal.
But despite the review period and the eventual vote, the voice of lawmakers is likely to carry little actual weight. A measure of approval could be introduced and then voted down – a clear symbol that Obama does not have congressional support for his diplomacy. Or, a measure of disapproval could be introduced and passed, which could invalidate a deal unless Obama vetoes it. The president on Tuesday vowed he would exercise that executive power, even as he “welcome[s] scrutiny of the details of this agreement.”
“I am confident that this deal will meet the national security interest of the United States and our allies. So I will veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of this deal,” Obama said.
Lawmakers would need 67 votes in the Senate to override a presidential veto – a hurdle that appears insurmountable, even if some Democrats oppose the president.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, the third-ranked Democrat and staunch supporter of Israel, faces a balancing act in deciding how to come down on a deal. He has said he will refrain from making judgement on the agreement until it can be closely examined. It would be a critical blow to Obama if Schumer were to oppose the president, but the New York senator, a friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, may side with Israel. Netanyahu, whose influence with the White House has waned significantly, has increasingly appealed to members of Congress in hopes of scuttling a potential agreement that he insists would be detrimental to his country’s national security.
When announcement of a deal was imminent on Monday, Obama called congressional leaders to brief them, according to a senior administration official. That official, who spoke on background, said the president will be “very actively” reaching out to lawmakers to brief them on the contents of the deal, and that National Security Council staff will also be making phone calls.
Because negotiations blew passed several self-imposed deadlines, the 30 days Congress has to examine a deal doubled to 60. The 60-day count does not begin until the deal and all its annexes have been submitted to Congress. Lawmakers will have until the end of July to conduct hearings on the agreement before they depart Washington for the August recess. They return Sept. 8 and will have approximately a week to vote on a deal before the 60-day review period expires.
Freshman Sen. Tom Cotton, an outspoken critic of the deal, called it a “grievous, dangerous mistake.” The Arkansas Republican cast the lone vote against the compromise bill that allowed for Senate review because, he said, it  provided only the “illusion of oversight without oversight.” He continued his hawkish rhetoric on Tuesday.
“Over the coming weeks, I will work tirelessly to protect America from this deal and to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear-weapons capability,” Cotton said. “I am confident that the American people will repudiate this dangerous deal and Congress will kill the deal.”