Sen. Carper Statement on Senate Passage of Iran Nuclear Review Act

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after the Senate voted 98-1 to approve the Iran Nuclear Review Act, a bipartisan bill brokered by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) to give Congress a role in reviewing any nuclear deal the administration negotiates with Iran.

“I was proud to support the Cardin-Corker compromise bill the Senate approved today, in part, because it represents the way the Senate is supposed to work.

“Bridging the divide of competing interests is never easy, especially on issues as important as negotiations over nuclear weapons and Iran. But that is what my colleagues in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee did. 

“Senators Corker and Cardin worked to forge a compromise that identifies an appropriate role for Congress in these nuclear talks. This compromise will enable the president to maintain his prerogative as our nation’s chief executive and commander-in-chief to negotiate on behalf of the United States, while also ensuring that Congress is able to weigh in on the final product of those negotiations.

“When I was governor, I learned the importance of having a chief negotiator and decision maker when it comes to dealing with other states or entities. Now as a senator, I take same approach to negotiations on many issues, including matters of foreign policy.  

“I support the idea that when the United States conducts diplomacy with a foreign government, it should speak with a unified voice. Our system is set up so that we do not have 535 members of Congress serving as negotiators and diplomats, and for good reason. 

“If we failed to speak with one unified voice in most negotiations, then forging international agreements with other countries would be almost impossible. I understand some of my colleagues would prefer that path because they feel the best deal with Iran is no deal at all. This agreement will protect their right to express their views with a vote at the appropriate time without undermining the administration’s ability to reach a good deal that many of us believe is possible. I look forward to having the important debate about the merits of a deal when that time comes.”
 

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