The Senate overwhelmingly approved a compromise bill Thursday that could allow Congress to have the power to review any nuclear deal with Iran and have the ability to weigh in on international negotiations between six international powers and Iran.
The measure gives Congress the capability to review and reject any deal with Iran over its nuclear program, according to Fox News. Iran would cut back on nuclear development in exchange for the lifting of some economic sanctions under the agreement.
House Speaker John Boehner said, after the votes were in, that the goal is to end a “bad agreement” that could allow Iran to be “nuclear-armed,” strengthen their government and “set off a regional nuclear arms race.”
The 98-1 vote is likely to clear the House as early as next week. Freshman Sen. Tom Cotton R-Ark was the only senator to vote no. Cotton wants the administration to submit agreements to the Senate as a treaty. Two-thirds of the Senate’s approval would be needed if that were to happen, as stated in the Constitution.
Some U.S. allies and senior Republican lawmakers question Congress’s ability to even stop a deal. Congress would have to round up 67 votes to override an expected presidential veto, according to LA Times.
Democratic lawmakers backed the measure and stated they want to have a say in the matter. They also thought the bill was not a serious threat to nuclear diplomacy. Some said that the bill does not give Congress any more leverage over the deal than they already possessed.
There are several Congressional skeptics expected in the coming weeks, of course. However, 150 supporters–mostly democratic–in the House registered their support in a letter to Obama.
Even if Congress were to rally enough votes to reject a nuclear deal, President Obama could offer a large amount of sanctions relief by himself. And a deal could happen if unilateral actions are paired with U.N. and European sanctions relief.
Until recently, lawmakers have been cautious about registering support for U.S. negotiations with Iran. They stated that they would need to know the details of any deal before making any decisions.
