WASHINGTON -- After a failed attempt to force a vote on amendments he supported, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton was the lone no vote Thursday on legislation giving Congress a say in negotiations over the future of Iran's nuclear program.
Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, didn't speak to reporters after the vote. His office released a statement in which he said the potential agreement should have been negotiated as a treaty. Under the Constitution, presidents are empowered to make treaties if two-thirds of the senators present concur.
"President [Barack] Obama wants to reverse this rule, requiring opponents to get a two-thirds vote to stop his dangerous deal. But Congress should not accept this usurpation, nor allow the president any grounds to claim that Congress blessed his nuclear deal. I will work with Republicans and Democrats to stop a dangerous deal that would put Iran on the path to obtaining a nuclear weapon," he said.
The Senate voted 98-1 to pass the bill, which would require a completed deal to be submitted to Congress, which then would vote within 30 days whether to approve the nuclear deal. Sanctions on Iran could not be lifted during that period. The bill next goes to the House.
Late last week, Cotton and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., frustrated with amendments being added to the bill, used a procedural move to put at the front of the line a package of amendments they supported. Those amendments mandated an end to Iran's nuclear program, guaranteed that facility inspections could be done with no notice and required Iran to acknowledge Israel's right to exist.
On the Senate floor at the time, Cotton criticized colleagues who have blocked votes on similar amendments during the days of debate.
"It's fine if you want to vote no. But we need to vote. If you don't want to vote, you shouldn't have come to the Senate. If you're in the Senate, and you don't want to vote, you should leave," he said.
The maneuver, which would have a forced a vote on Cotton's package amendments before any others could be considered, led Senate Republican leaders to move to cut off debate and vote Thursday on the final bill before weighing any of the more than 70 potential changes that had been filed. Obama has signaled he will sign the bill as long as it isn't significantly changed from the version approved unanimously by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman, a Republican from Rogers, said it was better to pass the legislation than to derail it.
"While I understand my colleagues desire to strengthen the bill, and was supportive of some of their efforts, Congress cannot simply walk away without having a say in this vital national security matter that has been negotiated behind closed doors," he said in a statement. "Without this bill, there will be no review of the Iran deal."