Congress is being left out of the loop by the Biden administration on a new Iran nuclear deal under negotiations, according to U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Michael McCaul (R-TX).
“I write to express my strong concerns that, as your administration reaches the conclusion of over 16 months of negotiations on a new Iran nuclear deal, Congress is not being properly updated on the proposals being set forth,” Rep. McCaul wrote in an Aug. 23 letter sent to President Joe Biden.
Rep. McCaul noted that the lack of recent engagement with Congress “is even more shocking” given that Iran’s parliament reportedly was briefed on Aug. 17 about the deal, while U.S. negotiators are still determining how to make further compromises, according to his letter.
Additionally, the congressman pointed out that Congress must review any agreement that is reached, pursuant to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA). Rep. McCaul urged the president to provide a series of briefings to Congress as soon as possible and lasting through the conclusion of the statutorily required INARA review process.
“It is completely unreasonable for this administration to think that a review could be favorable without a robust history of engagement with Congress, to include an increased tempo of briefings as negotiations reach their purported end game,” he wrote.
Rep. McCaul also wrote that it is vital for elected congressional members to have a clear view of how any agreement with Iran does or does not address the full scope of “Iran’s malign activities.”
“This remains the case regardless of what position you ultimately adopt with respect to the European Union’s latest draft proposal,” wrote the congressman.