[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 75 (Friday, May 15, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     PROTECTING VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ACT

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                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 2015

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this 
important legislation to provide for Congressional review of any final 
nuclear agreement with Iran.
  It is the policy of the United States to prevent Iran from obtaining 
a nuclear weapon. That is my position, and it has been the position of 
both President Obama and a majority in the United States Congress.
  As I indicated in a statement a few weeks ago, I support President 
Obama's ongoing effort to work with our P5+1 partners to achieve a 
strong and verifiable agreement to prevent Iran from acquiring a 
nuclear weapon. This legislation makes clear that Congress must 
exercise its responsibilities in this process.
  As the Administration has acknowledged, many important details remain 
to be worked out before the June 30 deadline. These include ensuring 
that inspectors are able to visit all nuclear sites in Iran, that 
sanctions only begin to unwind after the International Atomic Energy 
Agency confirms that Iran is complying with the terms of the final 
agreement, that the ``snap back'' of sanctions is assured should Iran 
violate the agreement, and that Iran implements an agreed set of 
measures to address the IAEA's concerns regarding the possible military 
dimensions of its program. I will be carefully monitoring and reviewing 
the ongoing negotiations to determine whether the final agreement meets 
the objectives we established.
  The legislation before us today ensures the very important role that 
Congress must play in this process. It provides that Congress will 
review this agreement and have the opportunity to act. Moreover, it 
makes clear that any repeal of sanctions legislation will require 
congressional action. As negotiations continue, I look forward to 
working with the president and my congressional colleagues to prevent 
Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. I agree with President Obama that 
it would be best if we can achieve that objective by negotiating a 
verifiable agreement. But I also agree with him that no deal is better 
than a bad deal.
  Madam Speaker, the President and a majority in the Congress are 
united in our commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear 
weapon. Let us continue to pursue that objective together.

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