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US House Passes Nuclear Deal Review Bill

US House Passes Nuclear Deal Review Bill
US House Passes Nuclear Deal Review Bill

The US Congress on Thursday sent President Barack Obama a bill to give the lawmakers the power to review and potentially reject a nuclear deal with Iran.

The House overwhelmingly passed the measure, 400-25, a reflection of lawmakers' insistence on having a say in what could be a significant international accord to place temporary constraints on Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions, the Associated Press reported.

Presidential spokesman Josh Earnest said again on Thursday that Obama would sign the bill into law.

Negotiators from the US and five other nations are rushing to reach a deal with Tehran by the end of June. As the House voted, Obama met at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland with Arab leaders in hopes of convincing them that US overtures to Iran would not affect commitments to their security.  

The Iran nuclear legislation would bar Obama from waiving congressional sanctions for at least 30 days while lawmakers examine any final deal. The bill would stipulate that if senators disapprove of the deal, Obama would lose his current power to waive certain economic penalties Congress has imposed on Iran.

The bill, which was passed last week by the Senate on a 98-1 vote, would require Congress to pass a resolution of disapproval to reject the deal, an action that Obama almost certainly would veto. Congress then would have to muster votes from two-thirds of each chamber to override the veto.

Even if Congress rejects his final nuclear deal with Tehran, however, Obama could use his executive pen to offer a hefty portion of sanctions relief on his own. He could take unilateral actions that — when coupled with European and UN sanctions relief — would allow a deal to be implemented.

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, backed the measure, saying it would strengthen the US negotiating position with Tehran.

New York Rep. Eliot Engel, ranking Democrat on the panel, urged bipartisan passage, saying, "Let's get this bill to the president's desk with a single voice."

 

Financialtribune.com