WASHINGTON — A key Republican committee chairman acknowledged Tuesday that the White House lobbying campaign for the Iran nuclear deal has generated results, and said he doesn’t know if opponents of the deal can prevail.
The comments from Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee and is a leading voice against the deal, came as supporters of the agreement claimed growing momentum. A 29th senator, Democrat Patty Murray of Washington, came out in favor of the deal on Tuesday.
That put supporters within reach of the 34 votes required to uphold a presidential veto of a resolution disapproving of the agreement struck by the U.S., Iran and five world powers. The deal aims to dismantle most of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions in sanctions relief, but opponents say it makes perilous concessions to Iran.
Some supporters have now begun aiming to get 41 votes, which would allow Democrats to kill the disapproval resolution outright in the Senate and protect President Obama from having to use his veto pen.
Corker said he didn’t know if opponents could stop that effort. But he criticized Democrats’ attempts to filibuster the disapproval resolution and block a final vote, given that Congress overwhelmingly endorsed hard-fought legislation giving lawmakers the right to weigh in on the deal.
“I find that stunning that the leader, the Democratic leader, is proposing that,” Corker told The Associated Press. “All but one senator voted in favor of having the right to vote on the final deal, so then to turn right around and filibuster it to me is very inconsistent and I think would be confusing to the people they represent.”
Only two Senate Democrats – New York’s Chuck Schumer and New Jersey’s Bob Menendez – have announced that they will vote against the agreement, though several Democratic senators have yet to announce their position.
One of the most-watched is Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, who is the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee and whose position could influence colleagues.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.