Republicans To Force US Admin To Provide Congress With Iran Draft Deal

A Republican-sponsored resolution to force the Biden administration to provide Congress with the still-pending draft text of the nuclear deal with Iran is set for a vote next week. 

The resolution, introduced by Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Joe Wilson (R-SC), is scheduled for a vote in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Jewish Insider reported on Thursday. 

The bill would compel the administration to provide Congress with the text of the draft deal and any related side agreements immediately, even if negotiations are still in progress when the bill is passed. Under existing law -- the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA) -- the administration is required to submit any nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic in full to Congress when it is signed.

A source familiar with the legislation characterized it as an “opening salvo” in efforts to “force” the administration to comply with the existing law, raising concerns that the administration will seek to duck INARA review or conceal side agreements related to the deal, something that Republicans accuse the Obama administration of doing in 2016.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during his visit to Israel earlier this week that the administration has committed that it will submit any final deal for congressional review. 

Earlier in the month, a bipartisan group of 50 US lawmakers -- 34 Democrats and 16 Republicans -- sounded the alarm on a looming agreement over Iran’s nuclear deal, urging the administration to immediately consult with Congress.