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Senate Democrats are threatening to vote against their own Iran legislation due to the manner that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is bringing the bill to the Senate floor.

McConnell and Senate Republicans want to show Benjamin Netanyahu that their support of his big speech to Congress wasnt just talk: They plan to try to pass bipartisan legislation to make it harder for the U.S. to strike a nuclear deal with Iran.

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But theres a big problem: McConnells rush to bring the legislation to the full Senate before its been through a committee vote has two of the bills Democratic sponsors in full rebellion mode, potentially presaging a Democratic filibuster on the floor if the bill doesnt go through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee first.

It took only a few hours for Democratic outrage to boil over after McConnell announced the Senate would vote next week on a proposal that would allow Congress to approve or reject any agreement that the U.S. and other world powers reach with Iran to wind down its nuclear program in exchange for the loosening of some sanctions. Many Democratic Iran hawks look to Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) for guidance on Iran issues, and an outraged Menendez said on Tuesday evening hell vote against his own bill if he has to.

There is no emergency, this deal if there is one wont be concluded until almost summer. Lets do this the right way, Menendez said. If this is the process then I will have no choice but to use my voice and vote against any motion to proceed to the bill.

A Republican aide shot back at Menendez: Launching a filibuster of your own bill is going to be pretty tough to explain to constituents.

Committee approval is expected sometime next week right as the full Senate takes up the bill. That process, similar to how McConnell began moving on approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline as soon as he took over the Senate, is irking Democrats who believe McConnell is not fulfilling his pledge to empower congressional committees.

Menendezs remarks followed a critical statement from another bill co-sponsor, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who said the push to the floor was rushed and partisan.

The effort by the Republican leadership to force the bill to the floor prior to full committee consideration is contrary to the important interests at stake. Premature action also disrespects the ongoing work to build a broad coalition of colleagues in support of this bill, Kaine said.

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Democrats turn against own Iran bill

And a number of top Democrats including Vice President Joe Biden, whose job description includes the title President of the Senate didn't attend.

READ: Netanyahu: Deal will pave way to Iranian nuclear bomb

Netanyahu used the Tuesday speech to frame Iran as a major terrorist threat to the U.S and Israel, framing it in the same vein as ISIS and North Korea. And he argued that the deal currently in the works to prevent the nation from gaining nuclear weapons would in fact "guarantee" that it secures them "lots of them."

The expected substance of the speech, coupled with the fact that the White House was not alerted to the invite ahead of time, had drawn sharp criticism from the administration, and Democrats crying foul. National Security Adviser Susan Rice last week said Netanyahu's decision to speak was "destructive to the fabric of the relationship" between Israel and the U.S.

Related: White House gets confrontational before Netanyahu visit

At least 50 Democratic House members and eight senators who caucus with the Democrats said in recent weeks they wouldn't attend the speech, many in protest to a move that they say is an affront to the president.

Rep. Charles Rangel (N.Y.) had originally said he would skip the meeting, but changed his mind on Tuesday.

A full list of the Democrats who confirmed they missed the speech follows:

SENATE - 8 members

Sen. Al Franken (Minn.)

Read more:
58 Democrats skipped Netanyahu's speech

House Speaker John A. Boehner, already under fire from unruly conservatives, is facing another agonizing choice over funding the Department of Homeland Security after Democrats thwarted his plans once again Monday.

Senate Democrats, as expected, blocked a House-passed bill to form a conference committee to work out the differences over competing DHS-funding measures. The move, coming ahead of a Friday-into-Saturday shutdown deadline, put the ball back in Boehners court just days after his stopgap proposal was stunningly defeated amid a right-wing revolt.

Its unclear what happens next. Boehner (R-Ohio) is under intense pressure from a small but vocal coterie of rank-and-file Republicans itching to use the DHS debate to fight President Obama on immigration. Dozens of hard-line conservatives voted against Boehners three-week funding bill last week, raising a fresh round of questions about whether he could face a long-shot attempt to dislodge him as speaker.

At the same time, Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are already struggling to show that the Republican majorities in both houses can govern, so they can hardly afford worries about a shutdown to linger.

Exiting Boehners office Monday afternoon, House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) suggested that the speaker had devised a course of action, but he would not reveal specifics.

The speaker is going to offer his advice and options and what hes thinking, said Sessions. Asked about the late Friday deadline, Sessions said: I think well act well before then.

Democrats called on Boehner to hold a House vote on a Senate-passed bill that would fund DHS for the remainder of the fiscal year and that would not affect Obamas executive actions on immigration.

But Boehner and his allies did not commit to doing that.

We are disappointed that Senate Democrats have once again rejected regular order. Now, we will talk with House Republican Members about the way forward, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in an e-mail.

Few issues have animated the conservative base like Obamas immigration actions, leaving Boehner in a tough spot. A combination of frustration over the substance of Obamas directives, which include stemming the deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants, and anger over how they were carried out executive maneuvers that conservatives say overstepped Obamas authority has been swirling on the right for months.

Read more from the original source:
Boehner on the firing line again after Democrats block bill to fund DHS

And a number of top Democrats including Vice President Joe Biden, whose job description includes the title President of the Senate won't be attending.

READ: Tensions rise between Obama, Netanyahu

Netanyahu is expected to use the speech to sharply criticize the White House's efforts to negotiate a deal on Iran's nuclear program and to urge Congress to pass new sanctions on the nation, a position that puts him sharply at odds with the president. On Tuesday, National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Netanyahu's decision to speak was "destructive to the fabric of the relationship" between Israel and the U.S.

The expected substance of the speech, coupled with the fact that the White House was not alerted to the invite ahead of time, has Democrats crying foul.

Related: White House gets confrontational before Netanyahu visit

At least 45 Democratic House members and eight Democratic senators have said in recent weeks they're not going to the speech, many in protest to a move that they say is an affront to the president.

Many more have said they're undecided on whether to attend, and more defections could emerge in the coming days. A full list of the Democrats who have confirmed they're missing the speech follows:

SENATE - 8 members

Sen. Al Franken (Minn.)

Sen. Martin Heinrich (N.M.)

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53 Democrats skipping Netanyahu's speech

President Obama talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July 2014 as they walk to Netanyahus car outside the Oval Office. Not gonna happen on this trip. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahus speech Tuesday before a joint session of Congress has Democrats divided onwhether to attend.

As of Monday afternoon, you wont see somethree dozen House members and perhaps ahalf-dozen senators all Democrats attending the controversial speech, which was arranged by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Netanyahu without consultation with the White House.

In addition to feeling sandbagged, the White House objects to thetiming of the speech just two weeks before Israels national elections and in the midst of negotiations over Irans nuclear program.

Speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual policy conference on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he did not intend upcoming address to Congress to be divisive or disrespectful to President Obama. (AP)

Many Democrats and some Republicans nonetheless feel obligedto attend especially because they dont want to be seen as disrespectful to the Israeli P.M. or to Israel.

But keen political observers know that you cant paintall Democratic attendees with the same brush. There are always subtleties involvedand, in this case, there areseveralcategories of attendance to look for.

So, here is what to look for:

1. Going but not clapping andlooking glum (or miserable). Kind of like the NYPD and New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio.

2. Going but just not clapping.

Read more:
In the Loop: What to look for from Democrats during Bibis speech Tuesday