Congress approved several bills this week that would enable greater scrutiny of the Obama administration's diplomacy with Iran, tighten sanctions on the country, and stop U.S. actions to provide the Islamic Republic with more taxpayer-funded payouts.
The House voted in favor of two pieces of legislation aimed at countering the administration's efforts to boost ties with Iran, including one that would tighten economic sanctions on Tehran and another that would stop the United States from purchasing Iranian nuclear materials.
Sen. Mark Kirk (R., Ill.), who helped provide the legal underpinnings for much of the legislation, praised House lawmakers for taking concrete steps to counter Iranian intransigence.
"I am pleased to see the House voted to advance legislation based on bills that Senator Ayotte and I co-authored to hold Iran accountable for its non-nuclear transgressions, and I urge the Senate to quickly do the same," Kirk told the Washington Free Beacon in a statement Thursday afternoon.
"Iran violated the JCPOA by producing more nuclear material than it is legally allowed," Rep. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.) said. "We should hold the Islamic Republic accountable for this violation. Literally the last thing we should do is give the Mullahs taxpayer money to buy out their violations and subsidize their nuclear program. It’s unbelievable we even need a bill like this, but here we are."
Congress has been considering a handful of bills that would force the Obama administration to disclose its secret deals with Iran and ban the United States from taking similar action in the future.
Kirk's opponent in the 2016 Senate race, Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D., Ill.), did not lend her support to these bills