Nuclear Agreement with Iran

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as the administration's agreement with Iran comes under greater scrutiny, there is growing bipartisan concern. It is widespread, and it is well founded. The leading House Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee recently said the deal ``troubled'' him because ``it doesn't prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon, it just postpones it.''

Yesterday another House Democrat said the deal lacks ``sufficient safeguards'' and ``could lead to a dangerous regional weapons race.'' She warned that the agreement would leave the international community with limited options to prevent Iran's nuclear breakout.

These are strong words, and they are from congressional Democrats who are otherwise supportive of the President. It is clear that this deal is making Members of both parties uneasy--and with good reason.

America's role in the world, its commitment to global allies, and the kind of future we will leave our children are all tied up in this issue. That is why I have called for a debate worthy of the importance of the agreement when the Senate takes it up in September.

I hope the President will echo this tone of seriousness in his remarks later today. I hope he will avoid tired, obviously untrue talking points about this being some choice between a bad deal and war. Of course it isn't. He knows it isn't. He himself has said that no deal is better than a bad deal.

There is also no need to insult the man who negotiated this agreement and the man who stood by his side when he announced it by falsely conflating debates from more than a decade ago with the unique and consequential realities of today.

Now is a time to aim higher. Now is a time to dig deeper. What I am asking is for President Obama to join us in rising to the moment.

Senators and the American people are being asked to weigh the consequences of what it would mean to allow Iran to become a nuclear-threshold state with the power to dominate its neighbors, spread its influence, and threaten our allies. This is a serious decision to make with serious consequences for our country. America deserves a debate worthy of it.

I imagine the many Democrats with serious reservations about this deal feel the very same way. Nearly every Member of both parties voted to have this debate when they passed the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act this spring. Given the widespread bipartisan concern about this deal, it is clear that a serious and proper debate, followed by a vote on the agreement, is now just exactly what our country needs.

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