Senators on Tuesday appeared determined to weigh in on a nuclear deal with Iran, despite pleas to “hold off” from Secretary of State John Kerry.
Kerry met privately with Senate lawmakers in the basement of the Capitol just hours before a Senate panel will vote on legislation giving Congress the authority to approve or disapprove a nuclear deal with Iran, including the lifting of sanctions.
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“In general, I think they want Congress to just go away,” Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., said after leaving the briefing. “In this case, Congress can’t just go away.”
Kirk and other lawmakers said they are optimistic about a deal unveiled Monday by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., that attempts to compromise with the White House while still providing for congressional oversight.
“This is a really sound piece of legislation,” Corker said Tuesday in a hallway interview after meeting with Kerry. “I’m really proud of it and it’s my intent this will pass overwhelmingly and then we’ll move it to the floor.”
The bill would halve the time for Congress to review the deal, from 60 days to 30 days, and would soften the language on Iran’s practice of state-sponsored terrorism, requiring only reporting to Congress.
The bill would prevent the lifting of sanctions against Iran while Congress is reviewing the deal, which is not expected in final form until the end of June.
The deal appears to have buy-in from Democrats, including the newly minted top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, Rep. Ben Cardin, of Maryland.
“I think this is the right way to take up this issue,” Cardin said.
The White House is scrambling to prevent a veto-proof majority from supporting the legislation. Obama administration officials believe that the bill will anger Iran and scuttle a final deal.
But support for the Corker compromise plan appears to be increasing.
“I’m very open to it,” Rep. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told the Washington Examiner.
In the briefing, Kerry delivered an opening monologue about the deal that lasted about 40 minutes, sources in the room reported.
“It was a helpful briefing but it did not satisfy all of my concerns,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told the Examiner. “The one problem is that the agreement really has not yet been concluded. But the details really matter.”
Kirk said Kerry did not mention the Corker bill by name but sent a strong message that the White House doesn’t support the legislation.
“He just asked us to hold off,” Kirk said. “They want to get it through the presidential election so they can get a Democrat elected to the White House. That is clearly what they want to have.”
