In USA Today, Cotton calls for bipartisanship and decries Obama’s unilateral action:
The Senate must approve any deal President Obama negotiates with Iran by a two-thirds majority vote. … Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the Obama administration has so far completely bypassed Congress in its negotiations with Iran. … Regrettably, it appears the deal President Obama is negotiating with Iran will not be a good one. In fact, if reports are correct, it will be a bad one that will ultimately allow Iran to continue its nuclear program and ultimately develop a nuclear weapon.
Sen. Pat Toomey also signed the letter to Iran. Philly.com reports why he did so:
“This letter is an extension of Sen. Toomey’s long and active record of engagement in the effort to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” a Toomey spokeswoman wrote in an email. “It’s critical that the Iranians know that a bad deal that fails to win congressional approval is a deal that will not stand for long.”
And it’s not just Republican senators challenging Obama on Iran, Politico reports:
The White House is moving aggressively to limit Democratic defections on Capitol Hill that could undermine its negotiations with Iran, dispatching senior officials and President Barack Obama himself to lobby senators against taking action before a nuclear deal with the rogue regime is reached.
UPDATE 7/20/2015
According to Politico, after the U.N. Security Council unanimously voted in favor of President Obama’s Iran deal, GOP senators had this to say:
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called the move to present the pact to the council “further evidence of a weak president trying to sell a bad deal” while Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) charged that the decision is an “affront to the American people.”
Senate Foreign Relations Chair Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) also called President Obama out on his deal with Iran:
“It is inappropriate to commit the United States to meet certain international obligations without even knowing if Congress and the American people approve or disapprove of the Iran agreement," the Tennessee Republican said. "There is bipartisan skepticism about whether this deal can prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and bipartisan concern over allowing the leading exporter of terrorism access to well over $100 billion in cash."
The chairman of the influential committee added that "the administration’s decision to endorse this agreement at the U.N. prior to a vote in Congress on behalf of the American people is contrary to the spirit of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act."
Our Republican senators are continuing their work to hold President Obama accountable on Iran.