Democrats in the Florida delegation remain sharply divided over President Barack Obama’s deal with Iran over its nuclear program.
Republicans in Congress are planning to hold a vote this week expressing disapproval of Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran but the president has enough votes in the Senate to ensure he can veto it and not have it overridden.
Democrats from the Sunshine State have split over backing Obama’s deal with Republicans from the Florida delegation who have lined up against it. In the Florida delegation, Democrats U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, Patrick Murphy, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson are behind Obama’s deal while U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel and Alcee Hastings are against it and U.S. Reps. Gwen Graham and Alan Grayson are still undeclared.
Politics have already come into play with Murphy, who is running for the U.S. Senate in 2016, drawing fire from Republicans for backing the deal. Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), faced pressure from her party to stick with the White House but her support of the deal has now led to a potential primary challenge. Miami-Dade School Board member Martin Karp told Politico that he is considering a primary against Wasserman Schultz due to her support of Obama’s Iran deal.
In the meantime, Grayson has been critical of the agreement, telling Al Jazeera America in an interview at the end of last month that it did not do enough to crack down on Iran’s support of terrorism. Like Murphy, Grayson is running for the Senate in 2016.
In the meantime, in recent days, Florida Democrats announced their stances on the agreement.
Castor came out in favor of the deal on Friday.
“My overriding concern is whether or not the agreement is in the national security interest of the United States,” Castor said. “After careful review and discussions, I believe that it is. It has been a longstanding goal of the United States and our allies to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The United States enacted economic sanctions on Iran and successfully led the international community to adopt additional restrictions with the goal of bringing Iran to the negotiating table and halting nuclear weapon development. Sanctions worked and produced an agreement that appears to halt Iran’s nuclear weapon development.
“Yesterday when I visited with leaders at U.S. Central Command (“CENTCOM”) at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base, I was struck by what this agreement will mean for the region,” Castor added. ‘I have no illusions about the dreadful record and conduct of the Iranian regime, or the destabilizing influence Iran continues to have in the region. However, I believe that dealing with an Iran with a nuclear weapon presents a much greater challenge and threat than one without such capability. The JCPOA allows the United States and international community to peacefully and verifiably deny Iran pathways to a nuclear weapon, thus reducing a dangerous threat to our nation, Israel and our allies. I believe that we must maintain our pressure and vigilance on Iran’s other nefarious activities in the region and continue our unwavering support for Israel’s security needs. There is a burgeoning coalition of countries in the Middle East that seeks to reduce security threats. Now that it is clear that the JCPOA will not be disapproved, the focus must shift to enforcement of the terms of the agreement and a strategic security plan for the region and Israel.”
Castor conceded the “deal is not perfect” but added “there is no practical alternative that is perfect.”
“I do not believe that rejecting the JCPOA and attempting to return to the negotiating table will provide us with a better result,” Castor said in conclusion. “In that scenario, we would be left with the worst of all worlds – an Iran on the threshold of a nuclear weapon, diminished support from our allies and reduced leverage for the United States. I understand and appreciate the passion and strong convictions that many people have regarding the nonproliferation deal. After immersing myself in the details, I believe that it is indeed in the national security interests of the United States. I will vote against a Resolution of Disapproval of the JCPOA and to uphold a presidential veto if it comes to that.”
Frankel came out against the agreement on Monday afternoon.
“I do not support the current deal because it legitimizes Iran’s nuclear program after 15 years and gives Iran access to billions of dollars without a commitment to cease its terrorist activity,” Frankel said. “It's too high a price to pay.”
Noting that Iran remains one of three nations designated by the State Department as state sponsor of terrorism, Frankel said that Middle Eastern country’s government can’t be trusted, especially with nuclear weapons. Frankel also insisted the security of other countries in the region, including Israel, continues to be compromised by the Iranian government.
“Stripped of its technicalities, this deal essentially rewards -- in fact, enables -- a terrorist regime without extracting sufficient concessions,” Frankel said. “Concessions that would have made this an acceptable deal, in my opinion, should have been permanent nuclear disarmament and a cessation of direct and proxy aid towards non-nuclear terrorism. The release of sanctions without requiring a stop to terrorist activities is disturbingly counterproductive. We contemplate releasing billions to a destructive terrorist regime, while we spend billions trying to keep peace in the Middle East.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
