Former Florida state legislators now in Congress continue to showcase standing against Iran during their time in Tallahassee, insisting the nation benefits by sanctioning that country.
In the aftermath of President Barack Obama’s deal with Iran over its nuclear program, on Tuesday, presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined two other senators in fighting to ensure state and local governments can keep sanctions on that Middle East nation.
Rubio joined U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, in bringing out a resolution on Tuesday expressing support for state and local governments that continue to sanction Iran over its support of terrorism and its humans rights violations.
On Tuesday, Rubio showcased his record in Tallahassee on Iranian sanctions and insisted the U.S. could benefit from following it.
“As speaker of the Florida House, I led our state’s push to stand with Israel by requiring the Florida pension program to divest from companies linked to the terrorist regime in Iran,” Rubio said. “As the first state to enact such legislation, Florida pioneered what became a national effort to divest from entities with any link to the brutal Iranian regime, denying it access to more money that would be used to develop nuclear weapons, sponsor terrorism and commit human rights abuses.
“President Obama’s fundamentally flawed nuclear deal potentially jeopardizes the strong stances states have taken to divest from Iran,” Rubio continued. “This resolution makes clear that Congress wants to give states the opportunity to take a stand and send the message that this is not Florida’s, or any other state’s deal with Iran; it’s just the president’s flawed deal. With this resolution, states will be able to stop their pension funds from filling Tehran’s coffers.”
Rubio is not the only member of the Florida delegation to point back to his record in Tallahassee on Iranian sanctions. U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, the ranking Democrat on the House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, penned an op-ed which appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel back in August. In the piece, Deutch expressed his opposition to Obama’s deal with Iran and showcased his record in the Florida Legislature.
Deutch noted that in his time in Congress and in the Legislature he always opposed the Iranian regime. In the Florida Senate, Deutch led the charge for the state government to divest holdings from businesses working with the Iranian regime.
“I proudly passed the law making Florida first in the nation to prevent taxpayer dollars from financing Iranian nuclear weapons, divesting $1.5 billion as a result,” Deutch wrote. “My election to Congress in April 2010 gave me the opportunity to take Florida’s example nationwide.
"Too many issues I have long raised as essential to any nuclear deal with Iran are not adequately addressed in this agreement,” Deutch continued. “Opening Iran up to foreign investment, increasing its oil exports, and unfreezing over $100 billion in assets means more money for Hamas for building terror tunnels in Gaza, more weapons for Hezbollah in Lebanon, more slaughter in Syria, and more violence worldwide.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
