Imminent Threats To Our National Security

Floor Speech

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Mrs. WAGNER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for having this Special Order. It is wonderful to join my female colleagues here on the House floor to talk about this very important issue.

Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today to sound the alarm about the mistake of historic proportions agreed to by the Obama administration last night in Vienna. In his haste and desire to reach an agreement at any cost, the President has agreed to far-reaching concessions in nearly every area that was supposed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. In contravention of his stated goal, the deal agreed to by the President last night affords Iran legitimacy for a partial nuclear program now and for a full and unfettered program after 15 years.

Madam Speaker, let me repeat myself for the sake of clarity. Under this deal, Iran will be able to develop a nuclear program with absolutely no restrictions less than 15 years from now. Under this deal, Iran will be allowed to continue to operate more than 6,000 centrifuges and will hold on to nearly 300 kilograms of enriched uranium.

Iran will also receive hundreds of billions of dollars in sanctions relief and regain the access to conventional arms and missiles that it has been denied for nearly a decade. Iran will be free to transfer these weapons to Hezbollah, the Syrian Government, and Yemeni rebels, who all threaten our ally Israel and further inflame the region already in crisis. Iran will be free to use the weapons and money provided by this agreement to fuel its terrorist aspirations around the region and the world.

This is a completely unacceptable outcome for the United States, Israel, our allies, and the Middle East.

Wagering the peace and security of the United States, Israel, and the world on a small chance that a hateful and deceitful regime will suddenly change its entire comportment is not only wrong, it is foolish and it is dangerous. Iran's decades-long record of state-sponsored terrorism will not change simply because this deal has been signed.

Just this past Friday--this past Friday, Madam Speaker--in Tehran, Iranian mullahs led people in chants of ``death to America.'' Yet, less than 72 hours later, the President is signing a deal with those fanatics, a deal that will eventually pave the way for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

As Prime Minister Netanyahu told us in this Congress, in this very Chamber this year, ``a bad deal is worse than no deal.'' Madam Speaker, this is a bad deal.

The President expects Congress to stand idly by and do nothing while he trades the security of the U.S. and its allies for a legacy-burnishing accomplishment. He expects us to sit on the sidelines while the administration offers one concession after another to the Iranians and agrees on a deal that would endanger the stability of the entire Middle East and jeopardize U.S. national security. That must not happen.

As the 60-day review process mandated by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act begins, Congress must unequivocally reject this agreement by voting for a resolution of disapproval. We will not stand idly by while the American people's security is traded for some empty promises. A nuclear-armed Iran would start a new arms race in the Middle East and pose an interoperable threat to the national security of the United States and our allies--especially Israel.

Madam Speaker, as Prime Minister Netanyahu said in this very Chamber, again: ``Standing up to Iran is not easy; standing up to dark and murderous regimes never is.'' But for the sake of our children and our children's children, we must face down this threat now before it is too late.

I urge my colleagues to review this agreement with an eye towards history, towards the past, towards the present, and towards the future of a region critical to America's national interests.

Iran has a record of deception and hostility towards American interest. No amount of wishful thinking will change their core tendencies. Congress must use this opportunity to stand up for what is right.

The United States must not capitulate in the face of persistent evil. We must stand together, united against the threat of a nuclear Iran in order to guarantee a free and peaceful tomorrow.

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