Posted on 03/09/2015 5:46:46 AM PDT by McGruff
Forty-seven Senate Republicans are signaling in an open letter to Iran and the White House that a deal over Tehran’s nuclear program will be at risk once President Obama leaves office.
“It has come to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system,” the senators wrote in the letter, which was first reported by Bloomberg. “Thus, we are writing to bring to your attention two features of our Constitution — the power to make binding international agreements and the different character of federal offices — which you should seriously consider as negotiations progress.” “Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement,” they said.
The letter was spearheaded by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and signed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). It was also signed by four Republicans who are said to be considering a run for president: Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.).
They warned that the deal — which is likely to be at least 10 years in duration — could be at risk once Obama leaves the White House in 2017.
“The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time,” they wrote.
Though it is addressed to the Iranians, the letter is another signal to the administration that many members of Congress want to have some control over any final deal reached on Iran’s nuclear program. Many are concerned that the White House will sign off on a deal that is not strict enough, or that only delays Iran’s ability to get a nuclear weapon.
It was reported last year that the White House was going to try to avoid having to seek congressional approval for the deal.
Congress also may take up new sanctions against Iran at some point in the coming weeks — and it is unclear whether negotiators will agree on a framework for the deal before legislation supporting the new sanctions is approved.
I thought Congress had the ability to cancel any Executive Odor within 30 days or something like that.
47 Republicans. McConnell couldn’t even get all of his own party on board. Obama will just laugh at this.
The mullahs are well aware that the “deal” will not have the force of US law. They don’t care. they know that once it is signed, the sanctions will be lifted or not enforced, and for two years they will not be molested or even have to endure “inconvenient” inspections. Meanwhile the heavy water plant will remain functional and the centrifuges will keep spinning. In two years it won’t matter who is President. Then when they chant “Death to America”, there will be some real teeth behind the growl.
Good move!
It is complicated, but there is competing legislation in the senate.
Corker's bill deals with the issue of congress approving any deal that Obama makes but Obama will veto it so they need 67 votes to override.
Kirk-Menendez deals with sanctions, but it also needs 67 votes for override.
It has become more complicated by the fact that there are democrats who support one or both pieces of legislation but they don't want to vote on it until the negotiations conclude later this month.
McConnell tried to put the Corker bill on the floor of the senate right after Netanyahoo's speech but Menendez said no. Even though Menendez is a co-signer of Corker's bill.
At least 47 Republicans have cojones larger than an acorn. As to your question about Congress cancelling an Executive order, the president can veto it. It takes a 2/3 majority in both housed to override the veto.
Before they roll over and wet themselves.
It not the size of the cojones that matter, its the number of cojones.
It takes 120 cojones for cloture and 134 cojones for override. Which means the GOP needs 12 dem cojones for cloture and 26 dem cojones for override.
OTOH, the prez needs only one cojone to veto, or maybe only one half of a cojone.
HERE’s THE TEXT OF THE LETTER TO IRAN
______________________________________________
An Open Letter to the Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
It has come to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system. Thus, we are writing to bring to your attention two features of our Constitution‹the power to make binding international agreements and the different character of federal offices‹which you should seriously consider as negotiations progress.
First, under our Constitution, while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them. In the case of a treaty, the Senate must ratify it by a two-thirds vote. A so-called congressional-executive agreement requires a majority vote in both the House and the Senate (which, because of procedural rules, effectively means a three-fifths vote in the Senate). Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement.
Second, the offices of our Constitution have different characteristics.
For example, the president may serve only two 4-year terms, whereas senators may serve an unlimited number of 6-year terms. As applied today, for instance, President Obama will leave office in January 2017, while most of us will remain in office well beyond then — perhaps decades.
What these two constitutional provisions mean is that we will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.
We hope this letter enriches your knowledge of our constitutional system and promotes mutual understanding and clarity as nuclear negotiations progress.
Sincerely,
Senator Tom Cotton, R-AR
Senator Orrin Hatch, R-UT
Senator Charles Grassley, R-IA
Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY
Senator Richard Shelby, R-AL
Senator John McCain, R-AZ
Senator James Inhofe, R-OK
Senator Pat Roberts, R-KS
Senator Jeff Sessions, R-AL
Senator Michael Enzi, R-WY
Senator Michael Crapo, R-ID
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC
Senator John Cornyn, R-TX
Senator Richard Burr, R-NC
Senator John Thune, R-SD
Senator Johnny Isakson, R-GA
Senator David Vitter, R-LA
Senator John A. Barrasso, R-WY
Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS
Senator Jim Risch, R-ID
Senator Mark Kirk, R-IL
Senator Roy Blunt, R-MO
Senator Jerry Moran, R-KS
Senator Rob Portman, R-OH
Senator John Boozman, R-AR
Senator Pat Toomey, R-PA
Senator John Hoeven, R-ND
Senator Marco Rubio, R-FL
Senator Ron Johnson, R-WI
Senator Rand Paul, R-KY
Senator Mike Lee, R-UT
Senator Kelly Ayotte, R-NH
Senator Dean Heller, R-NV
Senator Tim Scott, R-SC
Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX
Senator Deb Fischer, R-NE
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV
Senator Bill Cassidy, R-LA
Senator Cory Gardner, R-CO
Senator James Lankford, R-OK
Senator Steve Daines, R-MT
Senator Mike Rounds, R-SD
Senator David Perdue, R-GA
Senator Thom Tillis, R-NC
Senator Joni Ernst, R-IA
Senator Ben Sasse, R-NE
Senator Dan Sullivan, R-AK
___________________________________
Even the Kirk-Menendez sanctions bill is basically worthless, as it includes a presidential waiver clause just like past sanctions bills.
The whole idea that Congress is willing or able to stand up to Zero’s Iran surrender is a charade.
Who is missing?
usual suspects but some interesting omissions:
Murk
Collins
Corker
Flake
There are more but I don’t have time to figure it out
Lamar!
2 more
Thad Cochran but he probably had his hearing aid turned off
1 more
Coats of IN but he probably also had his hearing aid off
Wonder if they had “caps lock” on when they wrote it?
TN has 2 noodles for senators
Warning? The Constitution says what it means and means what it says. 2/3 Senate Majority to approve a Treaty, period.
” The whole idea that Congress is willing or able to stand up to Zero’s Iran surrender is a charade.”
They are very able. They are not willing.
Jeff Flake - Ariz
Bob Corker - Tenn
Lisa Mukowski - Alaska
Lamar Alexander - Tenn
Thad Cochran - Miss
Susan Collins - Maine
Dan Coats - Ind
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