Democrats prepared to buck White House on Iran nuclear deal

Even as the White House ramps up pressure on Congress to stay out of its negotiations with Iran on a nuclear agreement, Republicans are on the brink of veto-proof majorities for legislation that could undercut any deal.

And that support has held up even after the uproar last week over the GOPs letter to Iranian leaders warning against an agreement.

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Though several Democratic senators told POLITICO they were offended by the missive authored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), none of them said it would cause them to drop their support for bills to impose new sanctions on Iran or give Congress review power over a nuclear deal.

That presents another complication for the administration ahead of a rough deadline of March 24 to reach a nuclear agreement with the country.

The letters incredibly unfortunate and inappropriate, said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, a centrist Democrat who voted for the sanctions bill in committee and is a sponsor of the congressional approval legislation. That doesnt diminish my support for the legislation that we introduced.

The presidents challenge in Congress on the issue isnt limited to the 47 Republican senators who signed last weeks missive arguing that a nuclear agreement could be revoked by the next U.S. president. In a letter released Saturday, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough implored Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) not to push for a vote on his bill that would give Congress 60 days to reject or approve of any deal.

McDonough argued that Corkers measure, which has nearly a dozen Democratic supporters, goes well beyond ensuring that Congress has a role to play in any deal with Iran. And he asked Corker, whos sought to maintain a cordial relationship with the White House, to let the administration finish its negotiations with Iran, indicating it may take until the end of June. A framework is expected by the end of this month.

Corker shrugged off the request in response. And in an interview late last week, he said he hasnt lost the support of any Democrats despite the turbulent atmosphere surrounding Iran politics.

Let a couple days go by. We think theres going to be really ignited momentum, Corker, who did not sign the Cotton letter, said on Thursday. Nobodys dropping out. Weve had reaffirmed commitment from Democrats.

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Democrats prepared to buck White House on Iran nuclear deal

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