McCarthy vows House action on Iran bill

The House will take up legislation giving lawmakers a greater say over a nuclear deal with Iran if it passes the Senate, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Monday.

Earlier in the day, McCarthy spoke with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who is moving forward in his committee this week with a bill that would hand Congress more authority in lifting sanctions on Iran. The White House has threatened to veto the Corker legislation, saying it could derail the delicate months-long talks to curb Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.

{mosads}Corker believes his bill “is moving very strongly,” McCarthy told reporters during a meeting in his office.

“If he is able to get his agreement out of the Senate, it is my intention to bring it to the floor of the House and move it,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy will be on hand Monday night for a closed-door briefing where top Obama administration officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, will be trying to sell lawmakers on the emerging deal with Iran.

The majority leader would not predict whether the two chambers would have enough votes to override a presidential veto of the Corker bill. But he said a big vote in the Senate could mean a large vote in the House.

“I think they [in the Senate] are going to have a very high number,” he said.

McCarthy’s remarks came during his first “pen-and-pad” briefing since his election as the No. 2 House Republican last summer. His predecessor, ousted Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), stopped holding the regular, off-camera briefings with reporters several years ago after disagreements with the press.