[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 126 (Wednesday, August 5, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S6327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NUCLEAR AGREEMENT WITH IRAN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as the administration's agreement with 
Iran comes under greater scrutiny, there is growing bipartisan concern. 
It is widespread, and it is well founded. The leading House Democrat on 
the Foreign Affairs Committee recently said the deal ``troubled'' him 
because ``it doesn't prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon, it just 
postpones it.''
  Yesterday another House Democrat said the deal lacks ``sufficient 
safeguards'' and ``could lead to a dangerous regional weapons race.'' 
She warned that the agreement would leave the international community 
with limited options to prevent Iran's nuclear breakout.
  These are strong words, and they are from congressional Democrats who 
are otherwise supportive of the President. It is clear that this deal 
is making Members of both parties uneasy--and with good reason.
  America's role in the world, its commitment to global allies, and the 
kind of future we will leave our children are all tied up in this 
issue. That is why I have called for a debate worthy of the importance 
of the agreement when the Senate takes it up in September.
  I hope the President will echo this tone of seriousness in his 
remarks later today. I hope he will avoid tired, obviously untrue 
talking points about this being some choice between a bad deal and war. 
Of course it isn't. He knows it isn't. He himself has said that no deal 
is better than a bad deal.
  There is also no need to insult the man who negotiated this agreement 
and the man who stood by his side when he announced it by falsely 
conflating debates from more than a decade ago with the unique and 
consequential realities of today.
  Now is a time to aim higher. Now is a time to dig deeper. What I am 
asking is for President Obama to join us in rising to the moment.
  Senators and the American people are being asked to weigh the 
consequences of what it would mean to allow Iran to become a nuclear-
threshold state with the power to dominate its neighbors, spread its 
influence, and threaten our allies. This is a serious decision to make 
with serious consequences for our country. America deserves a debate 
worthy of it.
  I imagine the many Democrats with serious reservations about this 
deal feel the very same way. Nearly every Member of both parties voted 
to have this debate when they passed the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review 
Act this spring. Given the widespread bipartisan concern about this 
deal, it is clear that a serious and proper debate, followed by a vote 
on the agreement, is now just exactly what our country needs.

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