A bill requiring congressional approval for the emerging nuclear deal with Iran would get a certain House vote if the measure passes the Senate, a leading Republican said Monday.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters he expects bipartisan support in “high numbers” for the measure, which would also require congressional approval for lifting sanctions against Iran.
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, plans a panel vote on the measure this week and it will likely be followed by full senate consideration.
“If he is able to get his bill out of the Senate,” McCarthy said of the Corker measure, “it is my intention to bring it to the floor of the House.”
The announcement comes hours before Secretary of State John Kerry will brief congressional lawmakers privately on the framework of the deal with Iran.
The Iran nuclear deal has pitted Congress against the White House, with both Democrats and Republicans lining up behind the measure to require congressional approval.
There are also bipartisan fears that the nuclear deal does not go far enough to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, or make any headway in scaling back Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism in the region.
McCarthy was far less specific on a major foreign policy measure that would authorize President Obama to use military force in the Middle East to combat Islamic State terrorists.
McCarthy said Obama’s request for an authorization to use military force (AUMF) against the Sunni terror state could not garner 218 votes but offered little information about efforts to craft a congressional version.
McCarthy pointed to the House and Senate Committees, where action on an AUMF has stalled.
