Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice (N.Y.) is opposing the administration’s nuclear deal with Iran.
“This deal represents a pause, not an end to Iran’s quest for a nuclear weapon,” Rice wrote Monday in an op-ed in the 5 Towns Jewish Times.
“Here, the President is displaying an admirable political vision and optimism, but I just don’t trust the progress of that social experiment enough to pay the cost of this gamble’s security risk,” she added.
Rice said her decision came after consulting with negotiators, nuclear experts and her constituents.
Her opposition follows that of fellow New York Democrat Rep. Grace Meng, who said last week that the deal was “simply too dangerous” for Americans.
The freshman lawmaker’s opposition represents a small setback for the White House, which has been lobbying hard for Democratic support.
Republicans aim to vote down the deal in September with a joint resolution of disapproval. The White House plans to veto that resolution, forcing critics of the deal to muster a two-thirds majority to override.
The president invited House Democrats to the White House last week, and Cabinet officials have been briefing members on the deal.
Rice cited a number of arguments against the deal in her op-ed, including the snap back mechanism for sanctions, which she said did not give her enough confidence.
“The sanctions we imposed on Iran that proved successful were only successful over time. No matter how quickly we can re-impose these measures in the event we catch Iran cheating, it will take years to recreate the economic pressure that we know influences their decision making,” she said.
She also cited doubts over whether inspectors would have the ability to tell whether Iran was cheating.
“The fact that Iran would not agree to ’anywhere, anytime’ access is troubling — and an apparent continuation of Iran’s history of deception,” she said.
She also characterized the administration’s argument that the only alternative to the deal is war as a “false choice.”
“As President Obama has stated, his actions and economic sanctions brought Iran to the table. If that is true, and I believe it is, then why wouldn’t continued political and economic pressure improve our leverage in forcing Iran to agree to a better deal?” she said.
Rice called for the administration to convince other nations involved in the talks to seek a better deal by keeping the sanctions in place. 
“With China and Russia eager to trade with Iran, that won’t be easy. But imagine how difficult it will be to rally this group to force Iran’s hand after they begin reaping the benefits of Iranian trade,” she said.
Rice said she was also unwilling to help economically empower a regime that could use money from the lifted sanctions to support terror and oppose Israel and other U.S. allies in the region.
“I’m unwilling to grant such economic and political legitimacy to a regime that prides itself on its persecution of women, children, journalists, religious minorities and political dissidents,” she added.
However, she said she suspected the Iran deal will stand.
“I hope that history will ultimately prove President Obama right in his gamble on diplomacy and social progress in Iran,” she said.
“But for me, it is a risk I cannot support. It’s a gift of political legitimacy and economic empowerment that requires too little Iranian maturation across too little of its dangerous agenda. For the sake of peace, we can do better,” said Rice.