Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I am delighted to be able to be here to join my colleague from Delaware to talk about what is happening with enforcement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

If we want this to succeed, one of the things we need to do is to make sure we support the IAEA, the international agency that is charged with monitoring and verifying Iran's compliance with the agreement. I want to address that first, and then I wish to talk about some national security nominees who are also critical as we think about how we enforce this deal.

First, we all know that the IAEA is absolutely critical to the international nonproliferation system and to the enforcement of the JCPOA. Their employees are working day in and day out to verify critical aspects of the implementation of the agreement that prevents Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

For example, on December 28, Iran shipped more than 12 tons of low- enriched uranium to Russia, where the fuel is stored in a facility that is guarded by the IAEA. The IAEA has increased the number of its inspectors on the ground in Iran. They have deployed modern technologies to monitor Iran's nuclear facilities, and they have set up a comprehensive oversight program of Iran's nuclear facilities.

The IAEA is constantly enhancing and improving its efforts. For example, earlier this month they installed the online enrichment monitor, or OLEM, to verify that Iran keeps its level of uranium enrichment at up to 3.67 percent, as they committed to under the JCPOA to keep it at that 3.67-percent level. This prevents Iran from enriching uranium to a point where it could conceivably be used in a nuclear weapon.

This is new technology. It was developed by the IAEA with significant support from American scientists at our Department of Energy national labs.

As a result of the JCPOA, this new system can be used in Iran.

The IAEA resources devoted to verification and monitoring are also increasing considerably with personnel devoted to monitoring Iran's nuclear program increasing by 120 percent and the number of days monitors spend in the field by 100 percent. If we want the IAEA to be successful in making sure this agreement is successful, we need to provide robust financial support so that they can deploy the best scientists in the world for inspections and so that they can deploy the best equipment to monitor Iran's compliance.

IAEA Director General Amano has called on member states to provide long-term funding for the IAEA's additional activities in Iran that are estimated at approximately $10 million a year. If we think about this cost, that is a very good investment for America as we prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

I have other colleagues on the floor who wish to speak. So I can wait and talk about nominees after they have had a chance to speak, if that makes sense.

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. I thank Senator Coons.

As we know, one of the challenges is having people in place in the various agencies who can enforce this agreement and hold Iran accountable. That is where I think we have a real challenge because we have a number of nominees who need to be approved, but there are three who stand out as particularly important. First is Tom Shannon, who was nominated to be the State Department's Under Secretary for Political Affairs. Second is Laura Holgate, who is nominated to be the U.S. Ambassador to U.N. offices in Vienna. Included in those offices is the IAEA. The third and maybe even the most important as we think about future sanctions on Iran is Adam Szubin, who has been nominated as the Treasury Department's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes.

Shannon was nominated on September 18. This nomination is currently on the floor. Holgate was nominated on August 5. Her nomination is pending in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Szubin was nominated on April 16, and his nomination has been held up in the Banking Committee despite the support he has from the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

I know a number of my other colleagues are going to speak to these nominees, but I would like to point out that last week we had a hearing in the Foreign Relations Committee on the implementation of the JCPOA, and one of the witnesses who had not been a supporter of the agreement--Michael Singh--was a witness at that committee hearing. I asked him about Adam Szubin. He described him as a ``good guy who had done great work for the country'' and as someone whose nomination should go forward because it would allow us to continue to look at the sanctions regime and what we need to do.

The reality is--and I am sorry to say this because I think it contributes to what the American public is concerned about when they look at us in Washington and what we are doing. I think these nominations are being held up for purely political reasons. It has nothing to do with the background of these candidates, with their expertise, or with what they would do on the job; this is about individuals within this body who are trying to hold up these people for their own political gain. I think this delay is harming the national security interests of the United States. It is something every one of us ought to be concerned about, and we ought to be yelling about this because it is long past time that we confirm these individuals, let them do their jobs, and continue to do everything we can to protect this Nation's national security.

I thank Senator Coons for organizing all of us to come to the floor today to talk about what we need to do as we are implementing the joint plan of action.

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Will my colleague yield for a question?

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. It is my understanding that Adam Szubin has been held up and we have never heard a reason why he is being held up in that committee. Is that the Senator's understanding as well?

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