Boehner snubs WH, invites Netanyahu to address Congress

Susan Davis | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Boehner invites Netanyahu to address Congress Without consulting the White House, Speaker of the House John Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without consulting the White House, an apparent challenge to President Obama's policy on negotiations with Iran.

Netanyahu accepted the offer and will address a joint session on Feb. 11, according to a congressional aide who spoke on background because the Israeli Embassy has not yet made a public announcement.

Boehner, R-Ohio, asked Netanyahu to address the threats posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions and the rise of the Islamic State. The invite came a day after the president's State of the Union Address in which Obama warned Congress against enacting new economic sanctions against Iran.

"New sanctions passed by this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that diplomacy fails, alienating America from its allies, and ensuring that Iran starts up its nuclear program again," Obama said Tuesday. "It doesn't make sense. That is why I will veto any new sanctions bill that threatens to undo this progress."

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the invitation to Netanyahu was a breach of diplomatic protocol, but that the White House was reserving judgment about the invitation until they had a chance to communicate with the Israelis on the prime minister's message.

Invitations to foreign leaders to address Congress are often made in consultation with the White House and the State Department, but it is not required. Earnest said typically a country's leader contacts the White House before planning a U.S. visit, but Boehner's announcement was the first the White House had heard of Netanyahu's address.

At the weekly House GOP meeting, Boehner told his rank-and-file that Congress will continue to pursue sanctions. "(Obama) expects us to stand idly by and do nothing while he cuts a bad deal with Iran. Two words: 'Hell no!' We're going to do no such thing," he said, according to his office. "Let's send a clear message to the White House, and the world, about our commitment to Israel and our allies."

Netanyahu has previously addressed Congress in 2011 and 2006.

Republicans supported Boehner's move. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a potential 2016 contender, tweeted that he "would welcome thoughts from a great ally."

At least one top Senate Democrat has also been publicly skeptical of the Obama's approach to negotiations with Iran.

"After 18 months of stalling, Iran needs to know that there will be consequences for failure — and that consequence will be additional sanctions," Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said at a Wednesday hearing on the status of the Iran talks.

Menendez is a co-sponsor of legislation that would impose new sanctions on Iran if diplomatic negotiations fail to reach an agreement to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The U.S. and diplomats from Russia, China, Germany, France and the United Kingdom have been engaged in talks for more than a year over Iran's nuclear program. The latest deadline for an agreement is late March, which would allow for implementation by July.

Menendez argued that Congress should move forward with sanctions to send a message that the U.S. is prepared to act swiftly if negotiations fail. He offered a harsh assessment of the White House's strategy. "The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Tehran," he said.