Chuck Schumer to vote against Iran nuclear deal
Updated 10:28 AM ET, Fri August 7, 2015
Chuck Schumer to oppose Iran nuclear deal 01:02
“After
deep study, careful thought and considerable soul-searching, I have
decided I must oppose the agreement and will vote yes on a motion of
disapproval,” Schumer wrote in a 1,600-word post on the website Medium.
“I will vote to disapprove the agreement,
not because I believe war is a viable or desirable option, nor to
challenge the path of diplomacy,” he added later. “It
is because I believe Iran will not change, and under this agreement it
will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while
ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power.”
Schumer’s thinking on the deal has been
closely watched since the plan to loosen sanctions on Tehran in exchange
for access to potential nuclear sites was announced in early July.
He said in public comments over the past
several weeks he was going through the deal with a “fine-tooth comb” and
received briefings from top administration officials to digest the
deal’s inner workings.
His decision quickly provoked criticism from several former White House aides.
Former speechwriter Jon Favreau tweeted:
“Chuck Schumer, who said it was a mistake to pass Obamacare, now comes
out again the Iran Deal. This is our next Senate leader?”
Schumer’s announcement Thursday came after
two Democratic colleagues — fellow New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and
Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire — both said they would back the
agreement, which lawmakers have until mid-September to decide upon. On
Friday morning, Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin also said she’d back
the deal.
In the House, at least five Democrats came
out in support of the plan on Wednesday following a major speech by
Obama defending it.
But a senior House Democrat also came out in opposition Thursday night.
A White House official suggested Thursday
that Schumer’s announcement of opposition came only after enough
Democratic support was assured to keep the plan intact.
One source close to the New York
delegation’s discussions told CNN that Schumer was expected to hold off
making his opposition public until the math was clear that Republicans
wouldn’t be able to assemble votes for an override, though the source
thought Schumer would wait until the fall to announce.
But in recent days a steady stream of
public endorsements made supporters more confident they would have a
firewall in place to uphold the deal.
A source familiar with Schumer’s decision
on Iran told CNN that the senator informed the White House earlier today
of his intention to oppose the deal. He had planned to make his
decision public Friday. During the first 2016 Republican presidential
debate Thursday night, however, the Huffington Post reported that he
would be coming out against the deal, and soon after his statement
appeared on Medium.
Schumer’s leanings on the deal had been
closely watched since the plan to loosen sanctions on Tehran in exchange
for access to potential nuclear sites was announced in early July.
Since then, the Obama administration has
waged a massive lobbying effort to persuade Democrats to back the plan.
The President has vowed to reject any measure scuttling the agreement,
and a majority of Democrats are needed in Congress to sustain a
potential veto.
Schumer had been eyed as a key vote, both
for his prominence as the top Jewish Democrat in Congress and the
expectation that he’ll become the Democratic leader in the Senate when
Minority Leader Harry Reid retires at the end of his term in 2016.
“To me, the very real risk that Iran will
not moderate and will, instead, use the agreement to pursue its
nefarious goals is too great,” he said.
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