Suspension of Authority to Waive, Suspend, Reduce, Provide Relief From, or Otherwise Limit the Application of Sanctions Pursuant to an Agreement Related to the Nuclear Program of Iran
Floor Speech
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Mr. HUFFMAN. I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action because we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and this is the smartest, most responsible way to prevent that.
Nuclear experts, our own military and intelligence communities, and all five nations that have negotiated with us--countries that have a direct interest in preventing an Iranian bomb--all agree this deal will work. It does it by restricting Iran's nuclear enrichment to nonthreatening levels and by imposing an unprecedented framework of inspections, monitoring, and enforcement--mechanisms that are not built on trust but that are built on distrust and ver i fi ca tion.
Is this deal perfect? No. I would prefer a deal that permanently bans all enrichment. However, experts agree that this deal can and will keep Iran's nuclear program in a box for at least the next 15 years.
Now, opponents think we should blow this deal up, walk away, and try for a better deal. With all due respect, I think they are in denial. All of our negotiating partners tell us that that is not going to happen. We would go forward with a much weaker hand, without any, perhaps, sanction partners at all, and with a huge loss of credibility for abandoning our own deal. Blowing this deal up only makes sense if you are prepared to go to war.
I know--and I am distressed to say--that, across the aisle, many think that that is a good idea. I am concerned that, across the aisle, there is an outbreak of Dick Cheney fever and the amnesia that goes with it. They want to take us back to the good old days of the Bush years when unilateralism and militarism made us less safe, not safer.
There is a smarter and more responsible way forward to prevent Iran from having a bomb. Let's give diplomacy and peace a chance. Let's support this agreement.
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