Rick Scott, GOP Governors Push Back Against Obama's Iran Deal

Fifteen Republican governors from across the nation, including Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, signed on a letter to President Barack Obama opposing the White House’s deal with Iran over that nation’s nuclear weapons program, especially administration attempts to end sanctions from the states on that Middle East nation. 

Four presidential hopefuls--Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin--signed the letter. So did Govs. Doug Ducey of Arizona, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Mike Pence of Indiana, Phil Bryant of Mississippi, Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota, Greg Abbott of Texas and Gary Herbert of Utah
 
“The Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by the Obama administration is a bad deal and should be rejected," said Pence.  “While President Obama plans to lift nuclear-related federal sanctions on Iran, as governors we intend to ensure that our state-level sanctions remain in effect, and we have made that clear to the president today.”
 
 “The lifting of federal sanctions that will result from this agreement will only result in Iran having more money available to fund terrorist groups and attacks,” the governors wrote. “Adam Szubin, acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Crimes recently told the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affair that he expects “‘to continue to see Iran funding Hezbollah and its other violent terrorist proxies.’
 
“The people of our states will not be safer as a result of this agreement, much less citizens of countries like Israel which Iran has threatened to destroy,” the governors added. “Many of our states have divestment policies for state run pension funds and other state investments, as well as restrictions against state contractors being invested in or doing business with the government of Iran.  
 
“Paragraph 25 of the Iran nuclear agreement provides that the federal government will ‘actively encourage’ states to lift state-level sanctions such as the divestment and contracting restriction laws,” the governors continued. “While Secretary Kerry confirmed in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the agreement will not preempt state law because it is not a treaty, we are concerned about what steps your administration may take to attempt to implement paragraph 25.

“Therefore, we wish to make it clear to you in advance of any efforts to implement paragraph 25 that we intend to ensure that the various state-level sanctions that are now in effect remain in effect.  These state-level sanctions are critically important and must be maintained,” the governors wrote.