Congress Rejects Trump's Offer To Change Iran Nuclear Deal (This Time)

What’s the story?

When President Trump decertified the Iran Nuclear Deal in October it opened a 60-day window for Congress to easily reimpose old sanctions, nullifying the deal. GOP lawmakers could have used a special, expedited process to move legislation forward without fear of a filibuster.

But that window closed on Tuesday without any significant moves from Congress on either side of the aisle. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) put together a legislative proposal that would tighten the existing deal, reports Vox, but the proposal hasn’t gone anywhere.

What happens now?

By January 15 President Trump will have to decide whether to sign a waiver that would keep old sanctions from being imposed again. If the sanctions go back into effect, the deal is dead.

That deadline is separate from the 90-day deal certification deadline, which comes up at about the same time. The president could again decertify the deal and, again, pass the buck to Congress, opening another 60-day window for Congress to impose old sanctions and kill the deal.

Ending the Iran Nuclear Deal was a campaign promise President Trump has yet to fulfill. The question remains whether he will fulfill the promise himself or keep punting it to Congress to do it for him, which may not happen if they are consumed with domestic policy priorities, like tax reform and entitlement cuts.

What do you think?

Should the president impose sanctions on Iran? Should Congress do it instead? Or should we work to maintain the nuclear deal as it stands?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

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— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Marco Verch via Flickr / Creative Commons)