Swing Democrats on Iran bill: 'Yes, but'
Despite the White Houses strong push to rally its congressional allies behind an Iran deal, Senate Republicans think theyre close to having enough Democratic support to move forward with a bill that would give lawmakers the final say over any nuclear agreement with Tehran, according to interviews with key members of Congress.
But that Democratic support likely comes with a cost, members said. Many Democrats are demanding that the measure be amended so it doesnt kill the deal before it can be finalized by a June 30 deadline. So the onus is on Republicans to work with Democrats particularly if they want to assemble a 67-vote veto-proof majority although its not clear exactly what legislative changes would preserve the complex and still-evolving agreement.
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Independent Maine Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats and is a cosponsor of the bill, offered a glimpse inside the caucus thinking. Asked if he would still vote for it, King replied: Yes, but is my answer.
It depends how its handled the next two to three weeks, King said in an interview on Friday. Im not in if its a partisan weapon.
Nonetheless, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Friday hes not backing away from an April 13 markup of his legislation that would allow Congress to review the agreement for 60 days and potentially reject the lifting of sanctions on Tehran, which would effectively kill the deal. Corker said hes open to changing the bill, although hes going to have to balance Democratic demands with hawks in his own party who would prefer to scuttle the agreement.
It may be late April or even May before Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) can bring the Iran bill to the floor. First, the Senate has to deal with a Medicare payments bill, resolve an impasse over a stalled human trafficking bill and confirm a new attorney general when the chamber returns in mid-April.
That means administration officials and the president himself will have time to work with their Democratic allies and try to slow the bill down or at least limit its scope so it doesnt interfere with drafting a final nuclear deal by the end of June.
The White House has decided that they cant avoid congressional review altogether, said one senior Democratic aide. Democrats want to talk about what tweaks they can make that the administration can live with.
Still, the official line from the White House is the president would veto the bill. Our position on that has not changed, said press secretary Josh Earnest. We believe that this is clearly the purview of the president.
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Swing Democrats on Iran bill: 'Yes, but'