Cruz backs extension of Iran Sanctions Act

by Jordain Carney - 09/23/15 10:34 AM ET

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is signing on to a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act after Congress failed to block the nuclear deal last week.

The Texas Republican, who is running for president, was added on Tuesday as a cosponsor to the legislation — spearheaded by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), according to the Congressional Record.

{mosads} Phil Novack, a spokesman for Cruz, said the Texas Republican’s decision to support the proposal is “consistent” with previous sanctions legislation he’s introduced.

“The ISA, which maintains a large portion of energy sanctions, is set to expire at the end of 2016. It is imperative this act be re-authorized in order to retain the option to re-impose sanctions if the Administration lifts them,” he added.

Cruz has been a vocal critic of the Iran deal, under which Iran accepts restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The move came as he told reporters that Congress should pass a short-term government funding bill that “uses the power of the purse to force this administration to hand over the Iranian side deals.”

Cruz, as well as a growing number of House Republicans, argue that the 60-day congressional review period for the Iran nuclear deal shouldn’t have started because the administration didn’t hand over side deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Administration officials say they’ve been briefed on the deals but do not possess the documents. President Obama has also dispatched administration officials to Capitol Hill to discuss the agreements with lawmakers.

Cruz publicly called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to back his push to delay the congressional review period over the side deals.

McConnell, however, dismissed the argument, and Congress was unable to pass a resolution of disapproval on the Iran deal by the Sept. 17 deadline.

Aside from Cruz, only one other senator has backed the Kirk-Menendez bill: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is also running for president.

But Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told The Hill that an extension of the Iran Sanctions Act, which includes sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear program, would have enough support in the Senate to override a presidential veto.

“I believe that there are 67 votes in the Senate to extend the provisions of the Iran Sanctions Act to cause the sanctions to still be operative … in the event there’s a need for sanctions to snap back,” he said last week.

While the administration hasn’t specifically threatened to veto an extension of the Iran Sanctions Act, top officials have voiced strong skepticism and suggested that it’s too early to discuss an extension.

Corker, however, has previously predicted that the Senate could pass an extension by the end of the year. Supporters of the sanctions bill argue that they need to pass the legislation so sanctions can be “snapped back” if Iran violates the nuclear deal.

— This report was updated at 12:33 p.m.