U.S. House Speaker John Boehner called the international nuclear agreement with Iran �unacceptable� as President Barack Obama warned he would veto any legislation that would block the deal Billy House

Congressional approval of US-Iran nuclear deal : To be or not to be is the question

Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said that if party members decide the deal is as bad it initially appears, “We’ll do everything we can to stop it.” House Foreign Relations Chairman Ed Royce of California said the deal will be a “tough sell” in Congress. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas contended the agreement “will pave the way for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon” and predicted in a statement that “Congress will kill the deal.”
That would be difficult to do. Congress would have to override Obama’s veto of its resolution disapproving the nuclear pact. That would require at least 13 Senate Democrats and 44 House Democrats to side against their party’s leader, if all members voted and all Republicans backed an override.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker has said in recent weeks that it would be difficult to get enough votes for a veto override. The historic accord aims to curb the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for ending sanctions. Full implementation will be contingent on Iran meeting its obligations to curb its nuclear program and address concerns about possible military dimensions of its work.
Under legislation passed in May, Congress will have 60 days for public debate and hearings by as many as eight Senate and House committees. Lawmakers then could vote on a joint resolution to approve or reject the nuclear deal, though they also may not act at all.

‘Will Veto’
“I will veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of this deal,” Obama said at the White House. “This is not the time for politics and posturing.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The Senate must now weigh why a nuclear agreement should result in reduced pressure on the world’s leading state sponsor of terror.”
Boehner of Ohio, asked by reporters whether he had already rejected the deal without examining it, said, “I’m going to review all the facts. Based on what I know now, I’m highly skeptical.” Corker of Tennessee said in a statement that he needs to study the deal, “but I begin from a place of deep skepticism that the deal actually meets the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
“Iran continues to be the lead sponsor of terrorism in the world and relieving sanctions would make the Tehran regime flush with cash and could create a more dangerous threat to the United States and its allies,” Corker said.

‘Delusional and Dangerous’
Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee defeated by Obama in 2008, said the pact was built “on the belief that somehow the Iranian government will fundamentally change in the next several years.” That is “delusional and dangerous,” McCain said.
While McConnell, Boehner and Corker didn’t say how they believe Congress will vote on the deal, some Republican presidential candidates quickly predicted lawmakers will reject it.
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in an interview that the plan will give Iran “cash to feed their war machine” and predicted that Congress will overwhelmingly reject it. “This deal ensures that there will be a nuclear arms race in the Mideast” and “is going to threaten the very existence of Israel,” Graham said.

Rubio’s Stance
Another candidate, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, said Obama “has consistently negotiated from a position of weakness, giving concession after concession to a regime that has American blood on its hands.” He also said Congress will vote down the agreement.
Democrats, without endorsing the deal, said it must be looked over carefully and praised Obama for reaching the agreement.
“We have no illusions about the Iranian regime -– or the destabilizing influence Iran continues to have in the region. We must maintain our vigilance,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. “All options remain on the table should Iran take any steps toward a nuclear weapon or deviate from the terms of this agreement.”
Second-ranking House Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland said, “It is now up to members of Congress to work carefully through every detail, particularly given Iran’s likelihood to exploit any ambiguity or loophole to its benefit and to the detriment of the security of America, Israel and our allies in Europe and the gulf.”

Two-Thirds Majority
A vote to disapprove the pact between Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers wouldn’t necessarily end the debate. Obama could veto the resolution, and the House and Senate would each need a two-thirds majority to override his veto.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, in a July 1 column in the Washington Post, described three main areas of concern over a deal. He cited the administration’s “apparent willingness to allow Iran to keep its past military nuclear work secret,” the potential lifting of sanctions not tied to Iran’s nuclear program, and U.S. negotiators’ “apparent lack of insistence on vigorous inspections.”
“Congress stands ready to stand up for core U.S. national security interests -- and against a bad deal with Iran,” wrote McCarthy, the second-ranking House Republican.
Representative Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican, urged Congress to reject the deal. Zeldin is co-chairman of the House Republican Israel Caucus and serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

‘Bad Deal’
“The president should have walked from this bad deal and strengthened his hand if later he chose to re-engage,” said Zeldin in a statement.
“There is no trust when it comes to Iran,” said Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “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 said Tuesday.

Israel Lobbying
Israel, which says an agreement would allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons, has been lobbying Congress against the agreement.
Josh Block, president of the Israel Project, called the agreement “a realization of the deepest fears and the most dire predictions of skeptics,” and he urged Congress to reject it.
The dispute over Iran -- and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s March 3 address to a joint session over White House objections -- has brought the U.S.-Israel alliance to its lowest point in decades.
Corker wrote the bill that gives Congress the authority to approve or disapprove the agreement with Iran, passed in May by the Senate 98-1 and the House 400-25. Obama agreed to sign the measure after it became clear that Congress had enough votes to override a potential veto. The law requires Obama to provide certifications of the agreement and other material to lawmakers “no later than five calendar days after reaching an agreement.”
The law sets Congress’s review period at 60 days, which would include lawmakers’ August recess. During this time, Obama can’t waive or reduce sanctions against Iran.

12 Days
If Congress votes to disapprove the agreement, the ban on lifting sanctions would continue for another 12 days to
allow time for the president to issue a veto. The period then would extend for another 10 days to let Congress consider an override.
Enactment of a joint resolution of disapproval would bar Obama from granting sanctions relief for Iran under the agreement. The resolution wouldn’t invalidate the agreement itself.
If Congress approved the deal during the review period, the president could begin waiving sanctions immediately. The president also could waive sanctions if the review period expired without action by Congress. The law would allow Congress to reinstate sanctions waived by the president if Iran failed to make certifications required by the agreement.
    Bloomberg politics

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner called the international nuclear agreement with Iran �unacceptable� as President Barack Obama warned he would veto any legislation that would block the deal Billy House

Congressional approval of US-Iran nuclear deal : To be or not to be is the question

Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said that if party members decide the deal is as bad it initially appears, Well do everything we can to stop it. House Foreign Relations Chairman Ed Royce of California said the deal will be a tough sell in Congress. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas contended the agreement will pave the way for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and predicted in a statement that Congress will kill the deal. That would be difficult to do. Congress would have to override Obamas veto of its resolution disapproving the nuclear pact. That would require at least 13 Senate Democrats and 44 House Democrats to side against their partys leader, if all members voted and all Republicans backed an override. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker has said in recent weeks that it would be difficult to get enough votes for a veto override. The historic accord aims to curb the Islamic Republics nuclear program in return for ending sanctions. Full implementation will be contingent on Iran meeting its obligations to curb its nuclear program and address concerns about possible military dimensions of its work. Under legislation passed in May, Congress will have 60 days for public debate and hearings by as many as eight Senate and House committees. Lawmakers then could vote on a joint resolution to approve or reject the nuclear deal, though they also may not act at all. Will Veto I will veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of this deal, Obama said at the White House. This is not the time for politics and posturing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, The Senate must now weigh why a nuclear agreement should result in reduced pressure on the worlds leading state sponsor of terror. Boehner of Ohio, asked by reporters whether he had already rejected the deal without examining it, said, Im going to review all the facts. Based on what I know now, Im highly skeptical. Corker of Tennessee said in a statement that he needs to study the deal, but I begin from a place of deep skepticism that the deal actually meets the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran continues to be the lead sponsor of terrorism in the world and relieving sanctions would make the Tehran regime flush with cash and could create a more dangerous threat to the United States and its allies, Corker said. Delusional and Dangerous Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee defeated by Obama in 2008, said the pact was built on the belief that somehow the Iranian government will fundamentally change in the next several years. That is delusional and dangerous, McCain said. While McConnell, Boehner and Corker didnt say how they believe Congress will vote on the deal, some Republican presidential candidates quickly predicted lawmakers will reject it. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in an interview that the plan will give Iran cash to feed their war machine and predicted that Congress will overwhelmingly reject it. This deal ensures that there will be a nuclear arms race in the Mideast and is going to threaten the very existence of Israel, Graham said. Rubios Stance Another candidate, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, said Obama has consistently negotiated from a position of weakness, giving concession after concession to a regime that has American blood on its hands. He also said Congress will vote down the agreement. Democrats, without endorsing the deal, said it must be looked over carefully and praised Obama for reaching the agreement. We have no illusions about the Iranian regime - or the destabilizing influence Iran continues to have in the region. We must maintain our vigilance, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. All options remain on the table should Iran take any steps toward a nuclear weapon or deviate from the terms of this agreement. Second-ranking House Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland said, It is now up to members of Congress to work carefully through every detail, particularly given Irans likelihood to exploit any ambiguity or loophole to its benefit and to the detriment of the security of America, Israel and our allies in Europe and the gulf. Two-Thirds Majority A vote to disapprove the pact between Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers wouldnt necessarily end the debate. Obama could veto the resolution, and the House and Senate would each need a two-thirds majority to override his veto. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, in a July 1 column in the Washington Post, described three main areas of concern over a deal. He cited the administrations apparent willingness to allow Iran to keep its past military nuclear work secret, the potential lifting of sanctions not tied to Irans nuclear program, and U.S. negotiators apparent lack of insistence on vigorous inspections. Congress stands ready to stand up for core U.S. national security interests -- and against a bad deal with Iran, wrote McCarthy, the second-ranking House Republican. Representative Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican, urged Congress to reject the deal. Zeldin is co-chairman of the House Republican Israel Caucus and serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Bad Deal The president should have walked from this bad deal and strengthened his hand if later he chose to re-engage, said Zeldin in a statement. There is no trust when it comes to Iran, said Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 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 said Tuesday. Israel Lobbying Israel, which says an agreement would allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons, has been lobbying Congress against the agreement. Josh Block, president of the Israel Project, called the agreement a realization of the deepest fears and the most dire predictions of skeptics, and he urged Congress to reject it. The dispute over Iran -- and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus March 3 address to a joint session over White House objections -- has brought the U.S.-Israel alliance to its lowest point in decades. Corker wrote the bill that gives Congress the authority to approve or disapprove the agreement with Iran, passed in May by the Senate 98-1 and the House 400-25. Obama agreed to sign the measure after it became clear that Congress had enough votes to override a potential veto. The law requires Obama to provide certifications of the agreement and other material to lawmakers no later than five calendar days after reaching an agreement. The law sets Congresss review period at 60 days, which would include lawmakers August recess. During this time, Obama cant waive or reduce sanctions against Iran. 12 Days If Congress votes to disapprove the agreement, the ban on lifting sanctions would continue for another 12 days to allow time for the president to issue a veto. The period then would extend for another 10 days to let Congress consider an override. Enactment of a joint resolution of disapproval would bar Obama from granting sanctions relief for Iran under the agreement. The resolution wouldnt invalidate the agreement itself. If Congress approved the deal during the review period, the president could begin waiving sanctions immediately. The president also could waive sanctions if the review period expired without action by Congress. The law would allow Congress to reinstate sanctions waived by the president if Iran failed to make certifications required by the agreement. Bloomberg politics