Senate kills amendment that would have made Iran agreement a treaty

Condoleeza Rice says the Iran deal is "classically an executive agreement and doesn't need to be a treaty... " The Senate voted 39-57 Tuesday night for an amendment that would have required the upcoming nuclear agreement with Iran to be a treaty needing 67 votes for approval in the Senate. If the amendment submitted by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin had passed, it most likely would have stripped away much if not most of the bill's Democratic support and guaranteed a veto from President Obama. But, while this one was killed, there are some 60 other amendments to consider, including several poison pills. Republicans have submitted all the amendments. Although not enthusiastic about it, Obama has given the bill tacit approval, saying he would sign it in its current form. Sen. Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has so far been successful, with the help of ranking committee Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland, in steering the bill past all the shoals. The bill currently has 66 co-sponsors, including 20 Democrats.

“Now look, if I could wave a magic wand, or if all of [a] sudden donkeys flew around the Capitol, I would love for us to have the ability to deem this a treaty,” Corker said. “I really would.”

Corker has personally favored some other amendments, too, including one that would have required President Obama to certify that Iran is not supporting terrorism that harms Americans. But Corker has been all about getting the bill passed, and the certification provision was removed from the original text in order to get more Democratic support. Its deletion was also essential in getting Obama to say he would sign the bill.
The Johnson amendment was attached to S. 615—The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act. That bill, passed by the Foreign Relations Committee on a unanimous vote April 14, would give Congress 30 days to review and, if it so chose, reject any deal curtailing Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. If Obama vetoed such a rejection, it would take 67 senators to override. While there might be enough senators to do so, Speaker John Boehner has said he doesn't have enough override votes in the House if Congress did, in fact, reject an agreement, which is expected to be completely negotiated by June 30. Come below the fold for more on the bill's prospects.