WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Thursday to pass legislation giving Congress the right to review, and possibly reject, an international nuclear agreement with Iran.
The 400-25 vote sends the legislation to the White House, where administration officials have said President Barack Obama will sign it into law.
The Iran Nuclear Review Act of 2015 passed the Senate last week, after lawmakers reached a compromise to remove some of its toughest provisions, and Obama dropped his threat to veto the measure as a threat to ongoing negotiations between the United States and five other world powers and Iran.
The bill gives Congress 30 days to review a final nuclear deal after international negotiators reach such an agreement, and during that time bars Obama from temporarily waiving any U.S. sanctions on Iran that were passed by Congress.
Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin of Maine lauded the legislation and said that a deal of this magnitude should be open to congressional review. “I believe that any time our government negotiates deals of this magnitude with foreign countries, the American people and Congress must be able to review any and all details of an agreement.”
If the Senate and House pass a resolution of disapproval of the deal, it would prevent Obama from offering any waiver of congressional sanctions, the overwhelming majority of U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Such sanctions can only be permanently lifted by Congress.