Cornyn: Congress must be involved in Iran deal

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said the public wouldn’t “tolerate” the administration’s decision to bypass Congress on a nuclear deal with Iran.

“The American people will not tolerate a president who wheels and deals with a radical regime behind their backs and dodges congressional oversight every chance he gets,” Cornyn said Wednesday.

{mosads}Cornyn’s comments came after Secretary of State John Kerry said the administration has the authority to suspend sanctions on Iran without congressional approval.

The United States, Iran and six other world powers have until Nov. 24 to reach a deal to diminish Iran’s nuclear weapons capability. The Obama administration lifted some economic sanctions against Iran in order to get the country to the negotiation table, but lawmakers said the State Department is giving Iran too many concessions without enough in return.

“Any agreement with Iran to provide further relief from U.S. sanctions must be done in conjunction with Congress in an open and transparent way to ensure it advances America’s national security,” Cornyn said. “It is time for the President to abandon his ‘Lead from Behind’ strategy, begin involving Congress, and focus on serving the interests of the 319 million Americans he represents.”