US Senate unable to vote to reject Iran deal

OREANDA-NEWS. September 09, 2015. Supporters of the Iran nuclear agreement have mustered enough votes to ensure the US Senate cannot pass a measure to reject the deal.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) today became the 41st senator to announce his support for the 14 July accord that the US and other global powers reached with Iran to swap nuclear concessions for oil and petrochemical sanctions relief. With 41 supporters of the deal, Democrats have enough votes to filibuster the resolution and prevent the Senate from bringing it to a vote.

While noting that the agreement falls short of what he would have envisioned, Wyden said he has concluded "the alternatives are even more dangerous."

Wyden joined senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Gary Peters (D-Michigan) who likewise today announced they would vote against a resolution of disapproval that would reject the deal. Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) announced he opposes the nuclear deal.

As lawmakers return to Washington today after their summer recess, they are gearing up for a busy fall legislative season to be punctuated by debates over crude exports, President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan and funding the federal government for the 2016 fiscal year. But facing a 17 September deadline for a vote, lawmakers' first order of business will be to consider a resolution of disapproval on the nuclear accord.

The real drama over the nuclear issued passed last week, when Obama secured enough votes in the Senate to ensure that if the Congress passed a resolution of disapproval he would have enough votes to sustain his veto.

But Senate Democrats now have enough votes to save Obama from the embarrassment of having the Congress vote to reject the agreement his administration spent so many months trying to achieve.

Senate minority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) today hailed the support the nuclear agreement has attracted in the Senate. The US "will uphold its commitment, and we will seize this opportunity to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."

No Republican has voiced support for the agreement. Obama lost a key vote on 4 September, when senator Ben Cardin (Maryland), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee announced he would vote to reject the agreement.

McConnell dismissed suggestions the choice lawmakers face is between accepting the deal or taking military action against Iran to halt its nuclear program. "Of course, that was never true," he said. Re-iterating his opposition to the deal, McConnell said if lawmakers reject the agreement they will work to craft new sanctions against Iran.

In an unusual move, McConnell has asked all senators to be in the Senate chamber during the debate on the nuclear deal starting tomorrow.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is expected to vote to reject the deal. The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold hearings on the nuclear agreement tomorrow and again on 11 September.