Posted on 09/09/2015 1:01:18 PM PDT by Dave346
House Republican leaders are delaying a vote on the Iran nuclear deal scheduled for Wednesday because of a rebellion from rank-and-file conservatives.
The House was to hold a procedural vote to begin 11 hours of debate on a resolution disapproving the deal at 1 p.m. Instead, they will gather at 4 p.m. to discuss strategy. "We will continue the conversation on Iran from this morning and discuss strategy for the rest of the week," a GOP leadership aide said.
The House subsequently went into recess shortly after noon once leadership called off the procedural vote.
GOP leaders had to change course after hearing an earful from rank-and-file members during a morning conference meeting.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are demanding that the Obama administration send side deals between Iran and international nuclear inspectors to Congress as part of the Iran deal now under consideration. Opponents of the deal have argued that the clock on congressional consideration of the deal has not even begun until these side deals are submitted.
Under legislation approved earlier this year, Congress has 60 days to review the deal before the White House can begin lifting sanctions on Tehran, as required under the nuclear deal.
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) has offered a resolution that would prevent a vote on the Iran deal until all of the documents of the international agreement — including the deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are provided to Congress for review.
“We had a very healthy conversation with our members this morning. There is some interest in the idea offered by Mr. [Mike] Pompeo, Mr. Roskam. We're going to continue to have those conversations,” Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said after a GOP conference meeting.
In the Senate, there is skepticism from Republicans about the conservative plan.
“As I understand law, once Sept. 17 passes is it not the case that the president will take the view that he is free to go forward,” to lift sanctions, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, rejecting the proposal.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) also dismissed the proposal.
Aides said they are looking at changing the “rule” — which governs debate on the House floor — so that a vote on Iran can still happen this week.
Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) predicted that the procedural vote on the rule would fail if it were held Wednesday. But neither he nor other members of the House Freedom Caucus who believe Congress lacks all the information it needs to vote on the deal would commit to voting against the rule on the floor.
“If we take a vote prematurely, then we’re saying it doesn’t matter. And again, that’s another form of approval. Why do we want to approve anything here when it’s a bad deal and we don’t even know the worst part of it?” Fleming said.
Fleming suggested that allowing lawmakers to review the side agreements between Iran and the IAEA could even flip some Democrats to oppose the deal.
“Let’s say that something comes out that’s so hideous and so egregious that even Democrats wouldn’t dare go along with this deal,” Fleming said. “You don’t know what you don’t know. We didn’t know that the NSA was doing bulk collection of emails until we found about it.”
But other Republicans say it's too late to try to stall the vote when Congress's 60-day review period will close on Sept. 17.
“You know what, I think it’s pretty clear that a month and a half ago we understood that Sept. 17 would be the drop-dead date. And the week we’re doing it is a little bit late to bring up the argument,” said House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas).
Even if Roskam's resolution passed the House, it's unlikely to pass the Senate where 42 Democrats support the Iran deal and could block the measure from a vote. And resorting to a litigation could take months or even years to resolve — during which President Obama would be likely to lift sanctions within his control.
“I mean, this thing [the Iran deal] would be long in effect. I’m not sure that’s a real option,” said Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio).
“I think a vote is important, but I understand why we want to have all the data,” Stivers added.
This story was updated at 2:50 p.m.
There is no ‘worst part of it’. The whole thing is ‘the worst part’.
Has Levin reached his galectically wide ‘inch’ yet?
The House Republican caucus is meeting right now so we’ll know very soon.
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They need to stop meeting and start doing. The time for endless talk and meaningless rhetoric is over. We demand results. Now.
Gee. Perhaps we shouldnt have intentionally elected people that campaigned on working WITH Obama.
This is to give them breathing room while they evaluate backlash. Bury them in calls, emails, tweets, make them listen!!
Trump can’t get in office soon enough.
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If he does become president, his biggest foe will be the Republican Party. They will fight and subvert him at every turn.
I worry that he has an anuerism an strokes out some time..but the man has passion in spades!
feegards
LEX
It’s a pretend fight, a Kabuki dance. Nothing more.
I agree these traitors have never cared about this nation it is all about bowing to the New World Order. They make me sick.
Ha.
I remember Levin saying he was an inch away from bolting the GOP.
He has not bolted yet.
+My point exactly. I know many like/trust him. That one issue shows me trusting him isn’t such a great idea. He has said some version of the inch thing for years.
What more could the GOP do that they have not?
Yea but so does David Axelrod. Passion can be great when directed properly. Screaming conservative and then backing off on election day to support the guys he railed on for 3.9 years isn’t directed in America’s favor.
The senate will bend over and spread ‘em for dear leader regardless. Biting the pillow has become second nature to them.
Pretty much. Just more of the “oh look what we did!”
Yeah. You did nothing.
I am more and more wondering if suing to get SCOTUS input on “is this a treaty” may not be the way to go. Dunno. Not my area of expertise.
“First, fire Boehner and McConnell, then change the rules on the filibuster, THEN hold the Iran vote.”
Nuke the vote before Iran nukes us.
“I don’t think the House conservatives are ‘playing’.
Of course Boehner just wants to please the donors who paid to have the sanctions lifted.”
Naaah. The so-called “conservatives” are playing us for suckers as they always do. When they pass the motion to vacate the chair, that might indicate some seriousness. Until then, it just more theatrics for the TV audience.
Hail Trump!!
End the Republi-con leadership who can’t fight their way out of a paper bag.
RINOs are doing everything possible the hand Obama a victory on a silver platter. To hell with them, bring up the resolution to vacate the chair. Get someone with heart and desire to be speaker.
The old saying, “I wish I were a fly on the wall in that meeting”, applies.
First of all, exactly what review has taken place in the last couple of months? None as far as I can tell.
Second, It sounds like McConnell and Boehner are hot to “bend” the rules in the House so as to stamp out the conservative debate but I bet you dollars-to-donuts McConnell will do nothing against the coming Democratic filibuster in the Senate.
How ironic that the weak Republican leadership will fail to invoke the “nuclear option” in the face of what will probably result in a real nuclear war down the line.
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