Sen. Barbara Mikulski on Wednesday became the 34th Democratic senator to support the Iran nuclear agreement, ensuring the deal will ultimately be able to survive efforts by Congress to kill it.
Congress has until Sept. 17 to approve or disapprove of the deal to freeze Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. If Congress votes to disapprove, President Obama has said he will use a veto measure.
The Senate would need 67 votes to override that veto, but Mikulski’s support makes an override impossible, barring unforeseen vote changes.
“No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime. I have concluded that this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb,” she said in a news release. “For these reasons, I will vote in favor of this deal. However, Congress must also reaffirm our commitment to the safety and security of Israel.”
Additional Democratic votes for the deal are also possible. Ten undecided Democrats remain, and many of them are expected to support it as well.
Even with Mikulski’s support for the deal, it’s still possible that the Senate could vote to disapprove of the agreement. Sixty votes will be needed to advance a resolution disapproving of the agreement, and if that hurdle can be cleared, a simple majority would be needed to pass the disapproval resolution.
Republicans don’t have the 60 votes yet, as they have just two Democrats opposing it so far — Sens. Bob Menendez, N.J., and Chuck Schumer, N.Y. Four more of the remaining 10 undecided Democrats are needed to ensure 60 votes are there to advance a disapproval resolution.
The 10 undecided Democratic senators as of Wednesday are Michael Bennet (Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Heide Heitkamp (N.D.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Things are much easier in the House, where a simple majority will be needed to pass the disapproval resolution.
