• White House gains nearly enough support to stop Republicans blocking pact
The White House is close to securing the votes it needs in the US Congress to keep the nuclear agreement with Iran on track despite fierce opposition from Republicans and a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign against the deal.
A steady trickle of Democrats has come out in favour of the deal in recent days, giving the White House almost enough votes to prevent Congress from blocking the historic agreement, which was reached in Vienna last month.
Some Democratic Senate aides believe there could even be enough support in the party to filibuster a resolution against the deal, which would mean the president would not need to wield a veto to secure his second term foreign policy priority.
If Congress were to vote to block the Iran deal, it would amount to one of the most important rebukes of a president’s foreign policy since the Senate opposed Woodrow Wilson’s plans for the US to join the League of Nations in 1919. The debate has included accusations that opponents of the deal are “warmongers” and claims that supporters have been playing with anti-Semitism.
Democratic aides in Congress say party leaders are working hard to convince undecided members to support the deal and are wary of any revelations that might alter the political debate in Washington, but they are confident the agreement will survive.
Support among Democrats has held up despite a lobbying campaign against the nuclear deal worth $20m, including television advertising, much of which has been organised by pro-Israel groups. Jewish lobby groups in favour of the agreement have also sponsored TV adverts, although on a smaller scale.
Patti Murray, the Washington Democrat who is the party’s fourth-ranking senator, became on Tuesday the latest senior figure to endorse the deal. “I am convinced that moving forward with this deal is the best chance we have at a strong diplomatic solution,” she said. “It puts us in a stronger position no matter what Iran chooses to do, and it keeps all of our options on the table if Iran doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain.”
Her decision follows the announcement on Sunday that minority leader Harry Reid would vote in favour of the deal. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure the deal stands,” the leading Democrat in the Senate said in a telephone interview with The Washington Post. “This is the best way, the only way, to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.” Debbie Stabenow, a Democratic senator from Michigan, came out in support on Monday.
So far, only two Senate Democrats have said they would oppose the deal – Charles Schumer, the New York senator who is expected to take over as minority leader next year, and Robert Menendez from New Jersey.
Congress has until mid-September to review the deal and potentially to vote on a resolution blocking it. To override a veto from the president, 67 senators and 290 members of the House of Representatives would need to vote against the agreement.
Needing only 34 votes in the Senate to sustain a veto and maintain the agreement, the White House now has 29 senators supporting the agreement and another four leaning towards supporting, according to The Washington Post, with eight Democrats still undecided.
If opponents in the Senate cannot secure 60 votes against the agreement, Democratic leaders would be able to filibuster the resolution, which would prevent the Senate from having a formal vote.
By GEOFF DYER
