AP Photo White House torches Sen. Tom Cotton on Iran

The White House blasted Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton for how the Republican lawmaker used his opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran, the U.S. and other world powers in an appropriations bill Wednesday.

“I learned shortly before coming out here that this legislation did not succeed in getting the sufficient number of votes in the Senate to end debate,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters, referring to the amendment Cotton introduced.


Cotton’s amendment would bar “the use of funds to purchase heavy water produced in Iran.” Senate Democrats blocked the spending bill on water and energy programs over the amendment, with the upper chamber voting 50-46 against ending debate on the bill.

“So that is an indication that there is not likely to be the necessary support in the United States Senate to add that amendment to, you know, this broader appropriations bill,” Earnest said. “We’ve made clear our commitment to a principle that ideologically motivated policy riders are not appropriate for appropriations bills.”

Earnest told the room of reporters that they have “written extensively” about Cotton’s continual effort to undermine the implementation of the Iran deal.

“So it is clear what the intent of his amendment is. Senator Cotton is certainly no expert when it comes to heavy water,” Earnest continued. “I’m confident that he couldn’t differentiate heavy water from sparkling water. His focus is on undermining the effective implementation of this agreement that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

Earnest, who was initially asked if the White House would veto the legislation, added, “Right now I guess I would say that we’re gratified that this is not advanced in the Senate.”

Cotton fired back at the White House with a statement on Twitter. “No. @PressSec my focus is on stopping US dollars from going to a terror-sponsoring regime that's murdered US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he tweeted, while adding in a follow-up, “My amendment simply seeks to stop US dollars from going to Iran.”

He argued that his amendment isn’t intended “to upend the [nuclear deal] and any claims by @PressSec & Senate Dems to the contrary are false.”