Republicans eye new Iran sanctions
Members of both chambers are laying the groundwork for a post-July 20 push.
Congressional Republicans aren't waiting for the smoke signals out of Vienna to declare the Iran nuclear talks a failure.
Reacting to Tuesday's acknowledgment by Secretary of State John Kerry that negotiators may well need an extension, lawmakers in both the House and Senate began to make the case for punitive action as soon as the July 20 deadline is reached. While some called for an up-or-down vote on the deal, others argued for reinstating suspended sanctions or even enacting new ones.
"In light of Secretary Kerry’s comments today in Vienna that ‘very real gaps’ remain between Iran and the international community, my hope is that the Administration will finally engage in robust discussions with Congress about preparing additional sanctions against Iran," House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., said in a statement.
Royce's comments refer to bipartisan sanctions legislation he drafted with ranking member Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., which cleared the House by a vote of 400-20 last July and has been stuck in the Senate since then.
