The House on Thursday approved a resolution aimed at laying the legal groundwork to prevent President Obama from lifting U.S. sanctions on Iran until lawmakers get to see the full text of the "roadmap" that governs how Tehran accounts for its past nuclear work.
In a party-line 245-186 vote, members passed the resolution by Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas, and Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. The non-binding measure declares that Obama has not met the requirements of a law enacted in May giving Congress the opportunity to review any nuclear deal with Iran.
Lack of access to the roadmap "makes it impossible for a member of Congress to support this agreement," Pompeo said of the deal reached July 14 in Vienna between Iran and six world powers, including the United States.
The roadmap is a set of two confidential agreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The resolution declares that the clock for congressional review of the deal shouldn't start until those agreements are given to Congress.
The administration has turned over all documents related to the broader nuclear agreement. But IAEA officials have refused lawmakers' demands to hand over the text of the side deal, and the Obama administration will not press for a copy, saying it is satisfied with the arrangements it contains.
The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has been charged under the agreement with producing a report by Dec. 15 on Iran's past work widely believed to have focused on developing a nuclear weapon. That report will trigger relief of most of the international sanctions which have crippled Iran's economy, which Republicans say is why it's crucial for lawmakers to see the side deal.
While Republicans are hoping to delay the deal, the resolution is non-binding. However, Republicans said earlier in the day that it might be the basis of a lawsuit against the Obama administration, something House Speaker John Boehner said is a possible option.
But Adam Schiff of California, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and a supporter of the broader nuclear deal, noted that there's little chance access to the side deal would sway any votes.
"If you accept the argument that we can't have a vote on the agreement until we have this document between the IAEA and Iran, then why has the majority scheduled a vote on the agreement for tomorrow?" he asked.
The resolution is part of a three-pronged strategy developed by House Republicans to block implementation of the agreement after it became clear that Senate Democrats would attempt to block a vote on it. House Republican leaders scrapped a vote on a resolution to disapprove of a deal, which failed to advance Thursday in the Senate, and instead will vote Friday on a resolution to approve it.
The approval resolution is expected to fail by a large margin, but will force Democrats to decide whether to go on the record against President Obama's signature foreign policy achievement or defy public opinion and support it.
House lawmakers also will vote on legislation that would rescind the president's ability to waive existing sanctions until after Obama leaves office.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/house-passes-resolution-saying-obama-ignored-law/article/2571811
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2015/09/10/cruz_s_strategy_to_stop_the_iran_deal
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