Rep. Ed Royce (R – Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a resolution to disapprove of the nuclear deal reached between the P5+1 nations and Iran, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Republican U.S. Representative Ed Royce, the chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, on Tuesday introduced legislation to disapprove of the nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran.
Under the Iran Nuclear Review Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in May, the Republican-led Congress has until Sept. 17 to approve or disapprove of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers announced on July 14.
Royce’s announcement means lawmakers will try to pass a disapproval resolution, which could cripple the agreement, rather than a non-binding approval resolution.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R – Ky.) said that the Senate will also likely vote on a resolution to reject the nuclear agreement.
In a statement released coinciding with the introduction of the bill (.pdf), Royce said:
“I wish the Obama Administration had negotiated a verifiable, enforceable, and accountable agreement. While a tremendous amount of effort was put into these negotiations, the result falls well short of this standard. That’s the only conclusion I can come to after dozens of hearings with independent experts who have expressed extreme misgivings about this deal, especially the lifting of the arms embargo on Iran’s ICBM program. The agreement gives Iran permanent sanctions relief, but in exchange only temporarily restrains Iran’s nuclear program.
“If this agreement goes through, Iran gets a cash bonanza, a boost to its international standing, and a lighted path toward nuclear weapons. By granting sweeping sanctions relief, we have lessened our ability to challenge Iran’s conduct across the board. As Iran grows stronger, we will be weaker to respond.
“Yes, passage of this legislation would roil some diplomatic waters. But the U.S. still wields the most powerful economic sanctions in the world – sanctions Iran desperately needs relief from – sanctions that would continue to deter countries and companies from investing in Iran.
“I do not relish in introducing this consequential legislation. But the consequences for global security from this agreement are too great. This deal gives up too much, too fast, to a terrorist state – making the world less safe, less secure, and less stable.”
Royce’s statement comes a day after Rep. Peter Roskam (R – Ill.) announced that he had gathered enough votes to pass a resolution “expressing disapproval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed to by the P5+1 and Iran.”
“Time is not the friend of this deal. The more time Members spend evaluating this agreement, the more they realize it’s an historic mistake. While the Administration continues to flaunt a false choice between this deal and war, Secretary Kerry said repeatedly over the course of the negotiations that he would walk away from a bad deal. If that was the case, then surely there was an alternative besides this dangerous agreement and war. Congress and the American people believe a better agreement is still achievable, and we can start by walking away from this one. This is why a majority of the House is prepared to vote against this deal. We will do everything in our power to stop an accord that so utterly fails to shut down Iran’s nuclear program.”
Roskam’s observation that the more time Representatives spend reviewing the deal, the more “they realize it’s an historic mistake,” comports with polling done by The Israel Project, which shows that the more voters learn about the deal, the less they support it.
In addition to Republicans, who have a majority in the House, a number of Democrats have gone on record opposing the deal, including Juan Vargas (D – Calif.), Grace Meng (D – N.Y.), Albio Sires (D – N.J.), Kathleen Rice (D – N.Y.) and Ted Deutch (D – Fla.), the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.