Congress takes first step on Iran sanctions
A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Jan. 19.
The battle between Congress and the White House over Iran begins in earnest this week as the Republican-controlled Senate prepares to tackle sanctions legislation that critics say could derail nuclear negotiations.
President Barack Obama is expected to make a forceful case against the new sanctions push in his State of the Union address on the night of Jan. 21. The very next morning, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., will hold a hearing on "the status of talks and the role of Congress."
The face-off comes as Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., have been signing up lawmakers of both parties onto legislation to gradually impose sanctions if Iran does not agree to a deal by July 6. The two senators have greatly watered down their original bill from December 2013 in a bid to get a veto-proof majority of 67 members on board.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and his Senate Committee on Banking had been slated to hold a hearing on the Menendez-Kirk bill on Jan. 20 and vote on it Jan. 22. On Jan. 19, however, the committee delayed both actions by a week, without explanation.
