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Republican Senator Announces Opposition To New Iran Sanctions
Republican Senator Announces Opposition To New Iran Sanctions
By Ben Armbruster
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said this week that he is against passing a new round of sanctions on Iran while talks on a final nuclear deal are ongoing.
A battle has been ongoing in the Senate over whether to move forward with an Iran sanctions bill championed by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). The bill attracted dozens of cosponsors — including from a handful of Democrats — when it was introduced last month. But momentum slowed in the face of opposition from the White House, senior Senate Democrats, various security experts and grassroots activists who argue the measure would derail negotiations with Iran and could lead to war.
Only two GOP senators — including Paul — stood on the sidelines as the rest of their Republican colleagues voiced support for the bill. But the Kentucky Republican — in little noticed comments after President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday — broke his silence, bucking his caucus in opposing the bill.
“I think while they’re negotiating, and if we can see that they’re negotiating in good faith, I don’t think it’s a good idea to pass sanctions while we’re in the midst of negotiations,” Paul said on CNN. “I think the bottom line is we should give negotiations a chance. My hope is that sanctions will avoid war. We’ve been involved in two long wars in the Middle East. And I think it would be best if we can do anything possible to try to avoid another war now.”
- more -
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/01/30/3228081/rand-paul-iran-sanctions/
By Ben Armbruster
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said this week that he is against passing a new round of sanctions on Iran while talks on a final nuclear deal are ongoing.
A battle has been ongoing in the Senate over whether to move forward with an Iran sanctions bill championed by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). The bill attracted dozens of cosponsors — including from a handful of Democrats — when it was introduced last month. But momentum slowed in the face of opposition from the White House, senior Senate Democrats, various security experts and grassroots activists who argue the measure would derail negotiations with Iran and could lead to war.
Only two GOP senators — including Paul — stood on the sidelines as the rest of their Republican colleagues voiced support for the bill. But the Kentucky Republican — in little noticed comments after President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday — broke his silence, bucking his caucus in opposing the bill.
“I think while they’re negotiating, and if we can see that they’re negotiating in good faith, I don’t think it’s a good idea to pass sanctions while we’re in the midst of negotiations,” Paul said on CNN. “I think the bottom line is we should give negotiations a chance. My hope is that sanctions will avoid war. We’ve been involved in two long wars in the Middle East. And I think it would be best if we can do anything possible to try to avoid another war now.”
- more -
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/01/30/3228081/rand-paul-iran-sanctions/
Support for Iran-sanctions bill fades
By Steve Benen
It was just a few weeks ago that the bipartisan bill on new Iranian sanctions looked to be gaining momentum. Shortly before Christmas, the legislation started in the Senate with 27 original co-sponsors. Within one day, that jumped to 34. A couple of weeks later, the bill had 48 supporters. Two days later, it was 54. One day after that, it was 59.
By Jan. 9, the question wasn’t whether the bill would pass the upper chamber; the question was whether White House lobbying could prevent it from garnering a veto-proof majority.
Three weeks later, the bill’s momentum has stalled. Indeed, instead of gaining new backers, the proposal is losing old ones.
Note, Coons isn’t just a co-sponsor, he threw his support to the bill on literally the first day.
And he’s not the only one. As we discussed yesterday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), another co-sponsor, backed off the legislation while talking to MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. “I did not sign it with the intention that it would ever be voted upon or used upon while we were negotiating,” the senator said, adding, “[W]e’ve got to give peace a chance here and we’ve got to support this process.”
- more -
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/support-iran-sanctions-bill-fades
By Steve Benen
It was just a few weeks ago that the bipartisan bill on new Iranian sanctions looked to be gaining momentum. Shortly before Christmas, the legislation started in the Senate with 27 original co-sponsors. Within one day, that jumped to 34. A couple of weeks later, the bill had 48 supporters. Two days later, it was 54. One day after that, it was 59.
By Jan. 9, the question wasn’t whether the bill would pass the upper chamber; the question was whether White House lobbying could prevent it from garnering a veto-proof majority.
Three weeks later, the bill’s momentum has stalled. Indeed, instead of gaining new backers, the proposal is losing old ones.
A controversial Iran sanctions bill is losing steam in the Senate, where at least three of its own Democratic cosponsors are warning that pushing the legislation now could thwart delicate international negotiations.
“Now is not the time for a vote on the Iran sanctions bill,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said at a Wednesday event hosted by Politico.
Note, Coons isn’t just a co-sponsor, he threw his support to the bill on literally the first day.
And he’s not the only one. As we discussed yesterday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), another co-sponsor, backed off the legislation while talking to MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. “I did not sign it with the intention that it would ever be voted upon or used upon while we were negotiating,” the senator said, adding, “[W]e’ve got to give peace a chance here and we’ve got to support this process.”
- more -
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/support-iran-sanctions-bill-fades
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