Image by getty images

The U.S. Senate could plunge into a heated debate on legislation giving Congress the power to review a nuclear deal with Iran as soon as Wednesday, as some Republicans sought to change the bill to take a harder line on any agreement.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 19-0 last week for a compromise version of the bill, in a rare display of bipartisan unity in the deeply divided Congress.

Lawmakers said on Tuesday the full Senate could begin debate on Wednesday or Thursday, after Senate leaders reached an agreement ending an impasse over a human trafficking bill and President Barack Obama’s nominee to be attorney general.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Republican members of the Foreign Relations committee had offered dozens of amendments seeking to make the bill tougher, but most agreed to put aside their concerns in order to reach a compromise that could pass the full Senate and overcome Obama’s main objections.

Obama had promised to veto the legislation before the compromise, which shortened time Congress would be given to review the bill to 30 days from 60 and eliminated a requirement that Obama certify Iran was not supporting terrorism against the United States.

Obama now says he will sign the legislation, if it is not significantly changed as it is considered by the Senate and House of Representatives.

As it considered the bill, the committee rejected an amendment from Republican Senator John Barrasso that would have restored the terrorism-related clause. Barrasso told Reuters he planned to reintroduce that amendment before the bill came up in the full Senate.

However, he said he did not yet know which amendments Senate leaders would eventually allow to come up for a vote.

Two other Republican senators, presidential candidate Marco Rubio and Mark Kirk, called on Obama to tie any nuclear agreement to the release of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and other Americans imprisoned in Iran.

Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the foreign relations panel and the bill’s author, said he did not yet know how the amendment process would play out. A final vote on the legislation is not expected in the Senate before next week.

Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on Foreign Relations, said he was unaware of any plans by Democrats to introduce amendments.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount