Congress sharpens its knives ahead of Iran deal
A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of June 22.
Congress is sharpening its knives with just one week to go before the June 30 deadline for a nuclear deal with Iran.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing June 25 on "Evaluating Key Components of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action With Iran." The hearing comes as Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., this week urged the Barack Obama administration to abandon the talks if a final deal doesn't include "full disclosure" of past weapons-related nuclear work and "the ability to conduct inspections anytime, anywhere,” two key demands where the administration appears to have retreated in recent weeks.
The Senate action follows a hearing in the House this past week that examined significant delays in the State Department's enforcement of weapons-related sanctions law against Iran, Syria and North Korea. The hearings in both chambers will inform lawmakers' actions over the summer as they consider whether to reject a final deal and constrain President Barack Obama's ability to lift statutory sanctions.
Separately, the House Homeland Security counterterrorism panel holds a hearing on June 24 to probe the Obama administration's vetting of Syrian refugees. The Obama administration has come under international pressure to accept thousands more refugees in the next few years, but Congress has serious security concerns.
