(Sept. 11, 2015, 12:35 p.m.) -- As carried LIVE on LBREPORT.com (and viewable on-demand below), the U.S. House of Representatives took the following actions this morning (the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks): To view the VIDEO on-demand of debate on both of two bills, click here. [Scroll down for further.] |
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Yesterday (Sept. 10), the House voted, strictly along party lines, on a measure declaring that President Obama has failed to comply with the legislation requiring him to present the Iran agreement's full terms. That action lays the groundwork for a legal challenge to the Obama administration's actions, after reporters uncovered what the Obama administration calls separate agreements, and Republicans secret call side agreements, regarding the agreement. The administration has refused to release the side agreements to Congress. House Republicans brought the disclosure issue to the House floor, taking the position that the Obama administration's failure to provide the side agreements means it hasn't complied with the legislation (accepted by the White House) that required the administration to provide all parts of the agreement to Congress, and as a result, the 60 day period for Congress' review of the agreement hasn't begun. The Obama administration contends the side agreements are separate agreements between the Int'l Atomic Energy Agency and possibly others with Iran and the 60 day review period began running on July 17 and will end on Sept. 17, at which time the President will be free to lift current economic sanctions and pursue its agreement. The federal legislation required the President to provide Congress with the agreement "and any additional materials related thereto, including annexes, appendices, codicils, side agreements." The White House contends it doesn't have possession of the relevant documents, and Secretary of State Kerry told House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee in July that he hadn't seen them either.
Yesterday (Sept. 10) Democrats in the U.S. Senate voted to block a resolution of disapproval on the President's Iran nuclear agreement from proceeding to a full vote, an action effectively protecting the President's agreement. Unless a court blocks White House from implementing the agreement, President Obama will be free to lift billions of dollars in economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Iran agreeing to reduce its uranium stockpiles, allow international inspections -- after giving Iran 24 days notice of an alleged violation and allow the regime to inspect or provide inspection data itself -- while it maintain up to 5,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium, but to levels supporters say will limit Iran to less than weapons grade capability.. Scroll down for further
Critics of the agreement say it lets Iran do what President Obama and Congress said they wouldn't allow: develop nuclear weapons, which the agreement effectively allows after a delay (at most) of 15 years. Critics say the deal reduces Iran's "breakout time" for a nuclear weapon to near zero in years 13, 14 and 15, and to zero beyond 15 years. It also lets Iran, after less than a decade, buy ballistic missiles (including ICBM's capable of reaching the United States) while immediately giving Iran access to billions of dollars, currently blocked by sanctions, that the regime can use to finance terrorism. Supporters of the deal say it provides unprecedented inspections, contains what it calls a tough regime to enforce them, is the best that can be done now and is better than having no agreement at all, in which case Iran wouldn't be constrained to curtail nuclear enrichment or allow any inspections. Opponents counter that the U.S. could continue its sanctions to keep up the pressure on Iran; supporters reply that European powers could lift their sanctions regardless of what the U.S. does. The Iranian regime's leaders have in recent days continued to make bellicose statements about the U.S., indicate they won't discuss other issues, have continued to call for death to Israel and currently hold four American citizens hostage. blog comments powered by Disqus Follow LBReport.com with:
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