Ted Cruz has not given up yet and is pushing the Republican leadership of both the Senate and House first to delay the nuclear deal vote to prevent Obama from lifting sanctions and then to treat the nuclear deal with Iran like a treaty in order to defeat it:
THE HILL – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is doubling down on his push to delay a vote on the Iran nuclear deal, even after Republican leaders dismissed the idea.
Cruz sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday suggesting they could show “tremendous leadership” by delaying the Iran vote.
He argues they should tell the White House that the 60-day clock on congressional consideration of the deal has yet to start because the administration has not sent Congress the text of side deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“If we hold the [Iran] vote, and no Democrats switch their votes, we will lose,” Cruz wrote. “We don’t have to lose.”
“Both of you should formally determine that, under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, also known as Corker-Cardin… [that] the 60-day clock for congressional review has not yet begun to run. And, critically, as a result, federal law prohibits the Obama Administration from lifting sanctions,” he said.
Cruz also wants the Republican leaders to introduce a resolution stating that the Iran deal doesn’t have enough support to be passed as a treaty, which has a higher vote threshold, and to warn banks that if they release money to Iran as sanctions are lifted “they risk billions in civil (and possibly even criminal) liability once President Obama leaves office.”
“In my judgment, this approach is the one way we have to actually stop the deal,” he added in the letter.
I love the fact that Cruz hasn’t given up yet. He is truly a fighter and I can only hope this powers of persuasion don’t fall on deaf ears.