A key senator who is the top-ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee announced his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal on Saturday, in a blow to the White House and a boost to opponents.
Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland is a crucial vote and the author of legislation providing for congressional review of the deal that aims to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from international economic sanctions.
The agreement is a landmark foreign policy victory for President Barack Obama, whose Democrats have already amassed enough votes to ensure it survives in Congress, despite opposition from Republicans and Israel’s Government.
The ultimate outcome is not in doubt: even if a disapproval resolution passes, Obama will veto it and supporters have more than enough votes to sustain that veto.
But the best-case scenario for Obama would be for Democrats to prevent the disapproval resolution from ever passing at all. The vote is set for next week in the Senate.
Suspense about the resolution’s outcome was heighted on Friday by twin announcements from Cardin and, moments earlier, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, who said that he would back the deal. With Bennet’s support, backers are just three votes shy of the 41 out of 100 they need to block the resolution from passing.