McConnell bucks Dems, pushes forward on Iran bill

Shrugging off Democrats’ filibuster threats, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is moving forward with a vote on Iran legislation that seems destined to fail.

McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday set up a Tuesday procedural vote on a bipartisan bill that would allow Congress to approve or reject a nuclear agreement with Iran. His movement came shortly after a group of Senate Democrats took a hard line on the timing of that legislation, which they support, saying they won’t vote for it until after March 24, the deadline for a rough nuclear deal with Iran.


“It was surprising to see some members on the other side of the aisle threaten to filibuster their own bill, a bill that they rushed to introduce before the president’s negotiations were complete,” McConnell said. “It is my sincere hope that the sponsors of this bill, who will have the opportunity to review and defend their bill in committee, will not filibuster.”

But there appears little hope of that. And because Democrats have taken a similar tack on a separate Iran sanctions bill, their positions ensure that Congress will not be able to approve Iran legislation during the final three weeks of the Obama administration and world powers’ negotiations with Iran on a deal to scale back the country’s nuclear ambitions.

Shortly after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress on Tuesday, McConnell said he will move the bill for full Senate consideration next week, an announcement that outraged Democrats because the bill has not been voted on in committee yet. In a letter sent to McConnell on Wednesday afternoon, 10 Senate Democratic Caucus members vowed to vote against the congressional approval legislation.

“We are disappointed that you have proceeded outside of regular order which suggests that the goal of this maneuver is to score partisan political points, rather than pursue a substantive strategy to counter Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” the Democrats wrote in a letter led by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) obtained first by POLITICO. “We will only vote for this bill after it has gone through the regular mark-up process in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and after the March 24 deadline for the political framework agreement.”

Menendez, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also told reporters that he is blocking a committee vote on the legislation until March 24.

“I’m ready to go to markup after the 24th,” said Menendez, one of Congress’s most vocal hawks on Iran. “I made that very clear to the chairman all along when I agreed to this process.”

The Democrats’ stance all but ensures that the Tuesday procedural will fail next week, though the letter also indicates that there could eventually be a deep well of support for the legislation written by Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). If all 54 Republicans support it, that would get the bill close to the 67 votes needed to override a presidential veto, which the White House has said will come as long as negotiations are continuing.

Senior Republicans privately panned Democrats’ posturing as cover for the White House and Democratic Party, but one of the bill’s GOP co-sponsors was worried about the legislation’s long-term prospects.

“I’m trying to create a bipartisan view that Congress should have a say about lifting sanctions and I want to do what’s best to get the most votes,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Asked whether he thought McConnell should scuttle the vote slated for next week, Graham replied: “I don’t know. I’ve got to talk about that. I’ve got to talk to my Democratic colleagues and find out what’s best.”

In addition to Menendez, the letter to McConnell was signed by Democratic Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Bill Nelson of Florida, Chuck Schumer of New York, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine.

Manu Raju contributed to this report.