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Corker-Menendez Goes to Floor Over Opposition from WH, Lobby Groups

Kerry lobbied Senators to shoot down bill that would allow Congress to vote down sanctions relief

Bob Corker
Sen. Bob Corker / AP
April 15, 2015

A bill that would allow Congress to vote down sanctions relief for Iran based on a review of a final nuclear deal unanimously passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, despite heavy lobbying up to the last minute by senior Obama administration officials and allied advocacy groups.

The White House had previously said it would veto the Corker-Menendez bill if it were approved by the Senate but reversed that position on Tuesday after revisions to the legislation made it likely the bill would pass by a veto-proof majority.

"We’ve gone from a piece of legislation that the president would veto to a piece of legislation that’s undergone substantial revision such that it is now in a form of a compromise that the president would be willing to sign," said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

A senior Senate source said both White House officials and Secretary of State John Kerry lobbied unsuccessfully against the legislation in phone calls to members, despite the Tuesday compromise.

The legislation was amended to remove a provision that would require the White House to certify Iran was not aiding terrorist activities against the United States and her allies. It also reduced the number of days Congress was granted to review a final deal before a vote from 60 to 30.

Supporters of Corker-Menendez dismissed Earnest’s comments as spin based on the increased likelihood that the bill will pass by a veto-proof majority.

"It seems to me that the White House negotiated with the Senate as well as they negotiated with Iran," said David Brog, executive director of Christians United for Israel. "It’s a fait accompli. ... The fact that they won’t veto it saves some back and forth."

Brog added that he was "happy Congress has finally come and asserted its fundamental role, and now what we have to focus on is making sure Congress makes the right decision."

An official from another pro-Israel group closely involved with the push for Corker-Menendez said the removal of the terrorism provision was no surprise.

"Everyone knew that the terrorism clause would get taken out of the final language in exchange for Democratic support," said the official. "That was already clear a week ago."

Despite the White House’s apparent shift on a veto, outside progressive groups that have been working with administration officials to promote the Iran negotiations continue to oppose the bill.

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) said in a statement that the revisions do "not change the fundamental problems with this bill. It still threatens to derail the talks and kill a deal, and we remain opposed to it."

NIAC and a coalition of White House-allied groups, including J Street and Americans for Peace Now, sent a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Monday urging additional changes to the legislation, which did not make it into the approved version.

Senators will be able to propose additional amendments before the bill comes up for a final floor vote. Brog said CUFI does not plan to advocate for any changes that could derail a veto-proof majority.