White House isn't done counting Iran votes yet
WASHINGTON — The White House won't stop its aggressive lobbying effort for the Iran nuclear deal, even after securing what appears to be a critical mass of members of Congress who will vote to sustain it.
There are now 34 senators in favor of the deal. That's the magic number, because 67 of the 100 senators could vote to override a presidential veto of a deal blocking U.S. participation in the international agreement. But the White House has always been uncomfortable merely sustaining a veto, and is now working on getting enough votes for a Senate filibuster to prevent him from having to veto the resolution of disapproval.
“We are encouraged about the latest tally, but when the stakes are this high … every vote is important," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force One Wednesday. "Everyone from the president on down will continue to be engaged in marshaling the information necessary so that undecided members can reach their own conclusions about the agreement."
Among those undecided members: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Jewish Democrat from south Florida and the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Miami Wednesday, raising money for Democrats and addressing a local Jewish community center in Wasserman Schultz's district about the Iran deal.
"There are a number of questions and concerns that I have, along with my constituents and community leaders, about the agreement," Wasserman Schultz said in a statement last week. "Given his extensive experience in the foreign policy arena and his intimate knowledge of the negotiations, I believe Vice President Biden can be an effective representative to respond to those questions."
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Wasserman Schultz reportedly blocked a resolution at the DNC's annual meeting in Minneapolis last week that would have endorsed the Iran deal.
Earnest noted that a majority of DNC members still support the deal, and downplayed any friction between Obama and his hand-picked party chairwoman.
"To her credit, she has participated in literally hours of meetings and conversations with senior administration officials to discuss the finer points of this agreement," he said. "It sounds to me that she’s treating this as seriously as she should.”
But Wasserman Schultz's vote probably won't change the outcome. On Wednesday, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., became the 34th senator to support the deal. All are Democrats.
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said the addition of Mikulski was "an important milestone" and a symbolically significant vote. "At the same time, we think every vote counts," he said.
The Obama administration is also suggesting that they're open to ways to put pressure on Iran on other issues — including its holding of American hostages and its support for terrorist groups across the Middle East — as long as it doesn't encroach on the nuclear deal Iran reached with the so-called P5+1: The United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany.
Secretary of State John Kerry sent a letter to members of Congress Wednesday, saying the Obama administration "stands ready to work with Congress" on legislation to strengthen Israel's security and give the White House more tools to address Iran's threats.