The Iran nuclear deal has supercharged US congressional lobbying, with US President Barack Obama securing the support of a prominent Jewish Democratic representative and pro-Israel groups pressuring lawmakers in an all-out, big-money drive.
Obama, his Cabinet and other allies are making the case that the deal, which calls on Iran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for billions of US dollars in sanctions relief, is the best possible way to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey were yesterday scheduled to testify before the US Senate Armed Services Committee along with US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz.
Photo: AFP
Former US undersecretary of state for political affairs and ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns is to meet with House Democrats at the invitation of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is leading the effort to round up Democratic support for the deal. House Democrats also were scheduled to meet with Obama at the White House later in the day.
“I believe that Israel, the region and the world are far more secure if Iran does not move toward possession of a nuclear weapon,” longtime Democratic Republican Sander Levin said in a statement that referenced his Jewish faith.
On the other side is the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which is spending millions of US dollars on advertising to convince lawmakers that Iran cannot be trusted and that the deal should be scuttled. Its members were personally pressing the argument in meetings on Capitol Hill.
“We flew in this morning from Miami,” Stephen Fiske said as as he headed toward a lawmaker’s office on Tuesday — he is one of hundreds of AIPAC activists in Washington this week.
“We have a few meetings today and we have 13 tomorrow,” he added.
Lawmakers from Fiske’s home state, Florida, along with the New York delegation, are considered among the top lobbying targets in Congress, according to interviews with lawmakers, their aides and activists. Both states have large Jewish populations.
Congress has begun a 60-day review of the international agreement, with a vote expected in September. If the Republican-controlled Congress passes a resolution of disapproval for the deal, Obama has said he would veto it.
The administration is hoping to secure the backing of enough Democrats to sustain the veto. It takes a two-thirds majority in each chamber of Congress to override a presidential veto.
Tension rose on Tuesday during a packed hearing of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs. Three of Obama’s Cabinet members — Kerry, Moniz and US Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew — fielded pointed questions from wary representatives.
As the hearing entered its third hour, Republican Representative Scott Perry told the trio that the deal would embolden Iran, which is already involved in activities that destabilize the region.
“Well, we are going to give the crocodile, or the shark, a few more teeth and let us just see if it does something different,” said Perry, who thinks the administration needs to negotiate a better deal.
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