WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) spoke on the Senate floor Monday evening and voiced his concerns about the consequences of the Obama Administration’s nuclear negotiations with Iran and the danger created by a weak or unverifiable deal. Sen. Moran is a cosponsor of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (S. 615), legislation that would require Congressional review of a final nuclear deal with Iran and limit the President’s ability to act unilaterally.

Over the years, Congress has passed a series of strong economic sanctions that forced Iran to enter negotiations in search of economic relief. Included in those statutory sanctions are national security waiver authorities and other provisions that the President can use to suspend sanctions on Iran – without Congressional approval – as part of a final nuclear deal. The President has threatened to veto just about any piece of legislation that might restrict his authority to waive sanctions or limit his ability to make a unilateral deal with Iran. S. 615 has accumulated a veto-proof amount of support in the Senate.

Upon passage of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, and in the case a deal is ultimately struck by the June 30 deadline, waiver authorities would be suspended and Congress would have 30 days to review any potential accord with Iran and determine whether it puts the world on a path toward peace. 

Highlights from Sen. Moran’s remarks may be found below, along with links to the video download:

(0:34) “On the question of Iran, American policymakers are approaching a series of fateful decisions. The implications of these choices will determine events – both regional and global – for decades to come… I fear that the recent American march into nuclear negotiations with Iran have been misguided and misleading, drawing our country and the global community into a dangerous position.”

(4:20) “…Ultimately, we must ask if this deal would stabilize tensions in the Middle East, or accelerate them. These questions are greater than any grappling between Congress and the President or Republicans and Democrats. The nuclear accord will have serious and lasting consequences for us all. It is incumbent upon American leadership to guide these efforts in the safest possible direction.”

(5:05) “Congress has insisted, rightfully so, that it oversee and participate in this process, especially any decision regarding the lifting of sanctions. The President’s efforts to ignore or sidestep the legislative branch’s constitutional role in foreign policy are troublesome.

(9:35) “It is important that we… carefully examine the results of any nuclear negotiations and ask ourselves that question: is the world better off as a result of this agreement, is peace more assured, and does humanity have a better future… It is encouraging to me to see that the United States Senate, the Congress in fact, is stepping forward to play its rightful Constitutional role in foreign affairs.”

FTP LINK: Click here to download Sen. Moran’s remarks (save to desktop). 

YOUTUBE: Click here to watch Sen. Moran’s remarks on YouTube.

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