Supporters of the Iran Deal in the Senate Increase to 34; Path Opened for Possible Use of Veto

With the announcement of support from Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski for the Iran nuclear deal, the number of supporters in the Senate reached a threshold that allows Barack Obama to use his veto against potential congressional opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement. Associated Press and Reuters reported on Wednesday afternoon, September 2, that the 79-year-old Mikulski, who has the longest tenure among female senators, declared her support for the Iran nuclear deal with world powers. Thus, with the number of supporting senators reaching 34, opponents of the deal in Congress will not be able to gather enough votes to counter a potential presidential veto. Earlier on Tuesday, two other Democratic senators, Bob Casey and Chris Coons, joined the ranks of supporters of the nuclear deal, and this announcement was significant because both senators had previously taken hardline stances on Iran. A report from the American newspaper New York Times indicated that especially Senator Coons' announcement of support could be very influential in the decision-making of other undecided Democratic senators, as this important member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had previously expressed deep concerns about a potential deal with Iran. Additionally, Senator Casey told reporters that although he is still very cautious about the deal with Iran, he ultimately concluded that supporting it is in the interest of U.S. national security. Senator Mikulski, whose support now plays a key role in advancing Obama's strategy to garner support for the nuclear deal, has been a member of the U.S. Senate representing Maryland since 1987, but had previously announced in early March of this year that she would retire at the end of her current term. The nuclear deal is set to be voted on September 17, two weeks from now, and supporters of the deal in the Senate are now working to increase the number of supporters to 41 so that the implementation of the deal does not require a presidential veto. Among Democratic senators, currently only two, Chuck Schumer and Bob Menendez, have publicly expressed their opposition to the Iran deal. In the House of Representatives, supporters need a total of 146 votes, and so far more than 90 Democrats, including a group of senior representatives, have declared their support for the deal.