The Hill – March 04, 2015 – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Wednesday that the Senate will hold a procedural vote Tuesday on legislation that would prevent President Obama from lifting sanctions on Iran until lawmakers review a nuclear deal.
Despite threats from Democratic senators over the timing, McConnell filed cloture on the legislation Wednesday, teeing up a procedural vote one hour after the Senate convenes on Tuesday.
“There is nothing partisan about the Senate acting to fulfill its constitutional role,” McConnell said from the Senate floor, responding to the criticisms. “I was surprised that some senators made statements objecting to their own legislation. … This isn’t complicated.”
The legislation requires Obama to submit any legislation to Congress for review. Obama wouldn’t be allowed to lift sanctions against Iran while Congress was debating the agreement.
Negotiators face a March 24 deadline to reach an agreement on a framework for a final deal.
Ten senators have vowed to oppose the bill if it is taken up before the deadline and doesn’t go through the Foreign Relations Committee.
Tuesday’s legislation is a duplicate of a bipartisan proposal introduced last week. McConnell suggested that the Senate could still debate the original proposal if it gets passed out of the Foreign Relations Committee in time.
“That, Mr. President, is called the regular order,” he said. “The actions we’ve taken would allow the sponsors of this sensible bipartisan legislation to begin the debate next week.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told NBC News on Wednesday that negotiators could be “very close” to a deal.
Citing the report, McConnell suggested that senators have to act now because “time is running out.”
“The Iranians need to know that… the congressional sanctions, will not be lifted if a bad deal is reached,” he said.