REP. JUAN VARGAS (D-CA): “I intend to stand up and vote against this deal. This is not a partisan issue. This is an issue of our national security, and the security of our allies and I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this deal and press for a better deal that will truly end Iran’s nuclear weapons program and make the world safer.” (“Why I Oppose The President’s Nuclear Deal With Iran,” San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/24/15)
REP. STEVE ISRAEL (D-NY): “‘I tried very hard to get to 'yes.' But at the end of the day, despite some positive elements in the deal, the totality compelled me to oppose it,’ Israel said in a telephone interview.” (“Rep. Steve Israel Opposes Iran Deal,” Newsday, 8/4/15)
REP. NITA LOWEY (D-NY): ‘I cannot support this agreement before Congress’ “Congress’s role has been invaluable, in partnership with the Administration, in implementing the crippling sanctions that brought Iran to the table. I remain hopeful that the Administration and Congress, in concert with our P5+1 and regional allies, can prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. However, I cannot support this agreement before Congress.” (Rep. Lowey, Press Release, 8/4/15)
- “In my judgment, sufficient safeguards are not in place to address the risks associated with the agreement. Relieving UN sanctions on conventional arms and ballistic missiles and releasing billions of dollars to the Iranian regime could lead to a dangerous regional weapons race and enable Iran to bolster its funding of terrorists. The deal does not explicitly require Iran to fully disclose its previous military work to the IAEA’s satisfaction before sanctions relief is provided, and inspectors will not have immediate access to the most suspicious facilities. There are no clear accountability measures regarding punishment for minor violations, which could encourage Iran to cheat.” (Rep. Lowey, Press Release, 8/4/15)
REP. TED DEUTCH (D-FL): “‘After a decade in public life working to stop Iran from ever acquiring nuclear weapons, I cannot support a deal giving Iran billions of dollars in sanctions relief — in return for letting it maintain an advanced nuclear program and the infrastructure of a threshold nuclear state,’ Mr. Deutch, the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East, wrote in The Sun Sentinel.” (“Obama Begins Campaign In Congress For Iran Nuclear Deal,” New York Times, 8/5/15)
REP. ALBIO SIRES (D-NJ): “I am opposed to the current proposed nuclear agreement with Iran, I do not feel the agreement will prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon.” (Rep. Sires, Press Release, 7/31/15)
SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D-NJ): ‘The bottom line is: The deal doesn’t end Iran’s nuclear program – it preserves it’ “I’m concerned the redlines we drew have turned into green-lights; that Iran will be required only to limit rather than eliminate its nuclear program, while the international community will be required to lift the sanctions, and that it doesn’t provide for anytime-any-place inspections of suspected sites. The bottom line is: The deal doesn’t end Iran’s nuclear program – it preserves it.” (Sen. Menendez, Press Release, 7/14/15)
- MENENDEZ: “You know, I have to be honest with you. The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Tehran. And it feeds to the Iranian narrative of victimization, when they are the ones with the original sin. An illicit nuclear weapons program going back over the course of 20 years, that they are unwilling to come clean on.” (U.S. Senate, Foreign Relations Committee, Hearing, 1/21/15)
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