[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 131 (Friday, September 11, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1262-E1263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             APPROVAL OF JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, after careful review of the Joint 
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), analysis by experts pro and con, 
consultation with advocates from AIPAC, and prayerful consideration, I 
have concluded that the JCPOA is a strong, verifiable agreement which, 
if implemented, provides the best available option, short of military 
action, to prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapon.
  Israel is our nation's closest friend in the Middle East and one of 
our nation's key allies. Our relationship is based on shared democratic 
values, mutual respect, and our Judeo-Christian heritage. I have 
witnessed first-hand Israel's remarkable culture, innovation, 
entrepreneurship, and patriotism, especially when I traveled to the 
Holy Land.
  Drawing from my experience as a member of the House Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Defense, and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military 
Construction and Veterans' Affairs, I have an acute appreciation for 
the tremendous security challenges Israel and its people face as the 
nation seeks to survive and thrive in a very hostile neighborhood. 
Consequently, I have always supported funding for Israel's missile 
defense programs; a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict through direct and bilateral talks; and efforts such as the 
United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 to promote 
closer military, scientific, and economic ties between our two 
countries.
  Moreover, I have consistently supported international sanctions 
against Iran, not merely to inflict economic hardships on the 
government and people of Iran because of their anti-American, anti-
Israeli, and anti-Semitic conduct, but to ultimately bring Iran to the 
negotiating table to deter its nuclear weapons program, which poses a 
real and grave threat to Israel, the United States, and the entire 
world.
  Because the threat of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon is so ominous, 
our country was able to persuade a multitude of nations to join us, 
albeit reluctantly, in imposing these severe sanctions which have 
effectively brought Iran to the negotiation table regarding its nuclear 
weapons program. On July 14, 2015, negotiators from Iran, the United 
States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China, along 
with the European Union, announced completion of a comprehensive 
nuclear agreement with Iran--the JCPOA.
  The JCPOA requires that the full extent of the Iran nuclear program 
will be under constant surveillance--24 hours a day, 7 days a week--by 
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for at least 15 years, 
which is the strongest nuclear non-proliferation monitoring agency 
anywhere in the world. Even after 15 years, Iran will be permanently 
obligated to follow all international Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty 
requirements. Monitoring of the most sensitive parts of Iran's nuclear 
program will continue indefinitely.
  The JCPOA affirms that under no circumstance will Iran ever seek, 
develop, or acquire any nuclear weapons. It also places severe 
restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment facilities, dismantles its 
plutonium production capabilities, and provides the IAEA access to all 
known and potential covert sites.
  If Iran complies with the JCPOA, international sanctions will be 
lifted and Iranian funds frozen in foreign banks will be released. 
However, if Iran violates the agreement, sanctions will snap back into 
place and all options--including the use of military force--will remain 
available to the United States, Israel, and our allies to prevent Iran 
from obtaining a nuclear weapon. These options will only be 
strengthened by the intelligence gathered from the IAEA monitoring and 
inspections, as well as by the vast array of U.S. intelligence assets 
across the region and the world.
  The JCPOA is not perfect. Neither side got everything they wanted. 
And a skeptical international community has deep concerns about Iran's 
long and nefarious record of human rights violations, financing of 
terrorism, hostility to Israel and the United States, as well as its 
destabilizing role throughout the Middle East.

[[Page E1263]]

  Many Americans, Israelis, and other allies have serious doubts as to 
whether Iran will actually comply with the terms of the JCPOA, and 
believe Iran cannot be trusted. I share these concerns. But the JCPOA 
is not based on trust but on verification through constant monitoring.
  While intense inspections by the IAEA under the agreement are not 
sufficient to satisfy some critics, over 70 nuclear non-proliferation 
experts such as former Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar; Generals 
Brent Scrowcroft and Colin Powell; 29 top U.S. scientists; 440 Rabbis; 
more than 60 former Israeli Security Officials; over 50 Christian 
leaders; and more than 100 former U.S. Ambassadors have endorsed the 
agreement publicly. The United Nations Security Council voted 
unanimously to support the JCPOA as well.
  From a practical perspective, it makes little sense for the United 
States to walk away from the JCPOA given the broad diplomatic consensus 
and lack of reasonable alternatives to rolling back Iran's nuclear 
program. Our negotiating partners, who had reluctantly agreed to 
sanctions in the first place, have said in no uncertain terms that a 
better deal with Iran under current circumstances cannot be found. In 
fact, if the U.S. were to now reject the agreement, the broad 
international support currently in favor of sanctions would disappear, 
the guarantee of nuclear inspections would vanish, and our nation's 
diplomatic stature in the world would be greatly diminished.
  To be sure, it is vital that the JCPOA be backed by a strong 
commitment to ensuring that Iran remains in full compliance or face 
overwhelming military force. Current intelligence confirms that Iran is 
within months of developing nuclear weapons capability. Under no 
circumstances should Iran ever be allowed to pursue a nuclear weapon. 
Yet, before military action is pursued, I firmly believe that our 
nation must, as it has through the JCPOA, exhaust all of its diplomatic 
options and give peace a chance.
  In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ said: ``Blessed are the 
peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.'' Waging 
peace is hard and requires far more than trust and good intentions. It 
requires verification and transparency, which this agreement more than 
provides. For these reasons, I will support the JCPOA and oppose the 
passage of any legislation disapproving of the agreement transmitted to 
Congress by the President relating to the nuclear program of Iran.

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