Republicans send letter to Iran amid nuke talks
teaching them about ‘two features of our Constitution’
Almost half of the Senate, and nearly every Republican,
warned Iran on Monday that it’s the role of Congress to approve
international treaties, and that any agreement that fails to
come before Congress would be treated as a short-term agreement
with the Obama administration that could be quickly overturned.
“[W]e will consider any agreement regarding your
nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as
nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama
and Ayatollah Khamenei,” they wrote in an open letter to Iran.
“The next president could revoke such an executive agreement
with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the
terms of the agreement at any time.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and dozens of other Senate
Republicans warned Iran Monday that a nuclear deal without
the Senate’s approval isn’t much of a deal at all. Image:
Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
While the letter was addressed
to Iran, it effectively warned the Obama administration as well
that Republicans are looking for a hard and fast deal that will
put real limits on Iran’s ability to continue its nuclear
program. Reports surfaced a few weeks ago that the emerging deal
would let Iran keep its nuclear program intact, and then resume
work on its weapons program after 10 years.
Many Republicans are also skeptical that Iran would submit to
inspections, and some have noted that in the past, Iran has
failed to declare the existence of some nuclear facilities.
The letter, led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), specifically
outlined how the Constitution guides the government when
considering international treaties.
“First, under our Constitution, while the president
negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the
significant role of ratifying them,” they wrote. “In the case of
a treaty, the Senate must ratify it by a two-thirds vote.”
“A so-called congressional-executive agreement requires a
majority vote in both the House and the Senate (which, because
of procedural rules, effectively means a three-fifths vote in
the Senate),” they added. “Anything not approved by Congress is
a mere executive agreement.”
The letter also noted that while Obama will have left office
two years from now, many of the same senators who are likely to
oppose the emerging nuclear deal will still be around.
“As applied today, for instance, President Obama will leave
office in January 2017, while most of us will remain in office
well beyond then—perhaps decades,” they wrote.
The administration is hoping to finalize a framework
agreement with Iran by the end of the month. Several Democrats
have said they would be open to voting for a new Iran sanctions
bill if no acceptable framework deal can be reached.