After weeks of intense debate and threats of a Republican revolt, Congress passed legislation requiring Congressional review for any agreement made between the Obama administration and Iran. It was approved by the Senate yesterday in a nearly unanimous vote of 98-1.
The lone ‘nay’ vote came from freshman Senator Tom Cotton, (R-AR) while Barbara Boxer, (D-CA) abstained. Cotton has been the most vocal critical of the bill since his open letter to Iran. The letter promised Congress would never approve the deal to end sanctions over nuclear negotiations.
The threats from a caucus of Republican senators made up of Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, and others to force a vote on amendments to the bill ultimately proved inconsequential as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was able to rally enough votes to end debate and move the bill to the floor, reports Real Clear Politics.
Sharing sentiments with others who voted for the bill in spite of pushing for amendments, Cruz detailed the bill still ensures Congress will have “debate on the merits of the Iran deal.”
The bill now moves to the House for debate and Speaker Boehner indicates it will be taken up soon. If the House also approves, the president has noted he will not veto. Previously, he feverishly worked to kill the bill while it was in committee.
Whether Congress will approve the final details is the main question ahead of the June 1st deadline for international agreement on the deal. If not, President Obama may still veto a congressional vote to oppose, which would force Congress to attempt an override.
