President Barack Obama has succeeded in crossing a critical Senate threshold by mustering extra Democratic support to thwart the all-out Republican bid to derail the landmark Iran Nuclear deal.
With 42 Democratic Senators having declared their support, the Republicans will no longer be in a position to get the 60 votes they need in the 100-member chamber to block the deal.
Obama’s continuing efforts to win over sceptical members of his own party paid off on Tuesday, with four more Democratic Senators declaring the support for the deal that would lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for its undertaking not to pursue a nuclear weapons programme.
After this additional mobilisation, Obama will no longer need to wield his veto power to reject a Congressional disapproval, given that the Democrats can simply filibuster any Republican move to put the deal to a final vote.
“The administration is gratified by the growing support that we’ve seen in the US Congress for the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
The four Senators to affirm their support on Tuesday are Richard Blumenthal, Gary Peters, Ron Wyden and Maria Cantwell. “While this is not the agreement I would have accepted at the negotiating table, it is better than no deal at all,” Blumenthal said. The other Senators issued similar statements explaining their decision to finally support the measure.
With this, all Democratic Senators, except four, have lined up behind the deal. The four Senators opposing it are Charles Schumer, Bob Menendez, Ben Cardin and Joe Manchin.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: “This agreement will stand. America will uphold its commitment, and we will seize this opportunity to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.”
Even as the Congress debates the deal, Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz were slated to hold a rally against the deal on Capitol Hill later on Wednesday.