April 8, 2015 - Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today wrote Chairman Bob Corker asking him to delay the committee's consideration of theIran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 until negotiators have had a chance to reach a final agreement.
"To force Congress to weigh in now on the Iran nuclear talks before a final deal has been completed would be a reckless rush to judgment," Senator Boxer wrote. "It would undermine negotiations at a critical moment and could derail a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deal with this looming threat."The Senator cited a bipartisan statement signed by more than 50 foreign policy and military leaders urging Congress to take no action that would impede progress toward reaching a final agreement.
The full text of the letter is below.
The Honorable Bob Corker
Chairman
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
423 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chairman Corker,
I am writing to urge you to heed the bipartisan advice of leaders like Madeleine Albright, Richard Lugar, Carl Levin and Nancy Kassebaum, and delay consideration of any legislation on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action until a final agreement has been reached. These esteemed leaders were among the more than 50 former foreign policy and military leaders who wrote recently that, "In view of this hopeful progress, we call on the U.S. Congress to take no action that would impede further progress or undermine the American negotiators' efforts to complete the final comprehensive agreement on time."
To force Congress to weigh in now on the Iran nuclear talks before a final deal has been completed would be a reckless rush to judgment. It would undermine negotiations at a critical moment and could derail a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deal with this looming threat.
In the event that you do not put off next week's markup of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, I have filed an amendment that would urge the Committee to delay this vote until a final agreement has been reached. The Committee has the right and obligation to hold hearings and debate the framework, but it would simply be irresponsible to vote on legislation before we have seen the final terms of a deal.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
