White House sees Democrats lining up on Iran – CNNPolitics.com

Story highlights As Congress heads into a summer recess set to feature intense lobbying, many Democrats have already endorsed the Iran deal. The Planned Parenthood debate is taking some attention away from Republicans' effort to turn up the heat on Democrats on Iran.

As Congress heads into a summer recess set to feature intense lobbying by both sides, many Democrats have already endorsed the agreement. On Thursday, after Obama gave a fiery speech warning of harsh consequences should Congress vote it down, two more Democrats who were wavering came out in support: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

Republicans have scheduled a mid-September vote on a resolution to reject the Iran deal, which is expected to pass, and have eyed the August recess as the time to build up public pressure against the agreement. But with the latest string of Democrats coming out in favor of the deal, it is growing increasingly difficult for Republicans in the House and Senate to secure the votes they need -- 44 and 13 respectively -- from Democrats to help them override the veto Obama's promised.

Even the announcement Thursday night by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, slated to become the Democratic leader in the next Senate, might not be enough to slow the White House's momentum.

READ: McConnell vows full debate on Iran, promises no government shutdown

He's the most influential Democrat to come out in opposition to the deal, a stance long sought by the agreement's opponents, many of whom are his constituents.

But the decision to make his position public on the heels of a string of endorsements was being seen in the White House as a signal that it has a veto-proof number of supporters and it was safe for Schumer to oppose the deal without jeopardizing the President's agenda.

"We're very confident that we can hold that veto, with the Democratic Caucus in the House and also the Senate," Ben Rhodes, the President's deputy national security advisor, told CNN on Wednesday.

In the House, the list of Democrats publicly opposing the deal is relatively short so far. It does, however, include a handful in senior positions -- New York's Steve Israel, Nita Lowey and, as of Thursday night, Eliot Engel among them, though House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has endorsed the deal.

The resistance from members of the President's party comes chiefly from those representing districts with significant Jewish constituencies, many of whom are fiercely opposed to the administration's foreign policy in the Middle East.

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