In Symbolic Vote, House Rejects Iran Deal Resolution

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a resolution to approve the Iran deal, but its passage is all but assured following the U.S. Senate's action on Thursday. (Photo: Ron Cogswell/flickr/cc)

In Symbolic Vote, House Rejects Iran Deal Resolution

25 Democrats join every Republican in voting against deal, though outcome will have no impact on implementation of nuclear accord

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday rejected the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers that has been the subject of heated debate in Congress for weeks.

The resolution to approve the deal failed 162-269, although the vote was largely symbolic and will have no impact on implementation of the groundbreaking nuclear accord. On Thursday, the Senate rejected a resolution of disapproval of the deal, helping it clear a major hurdle that essentially ensures its enactment.

Every Republican in the House voted against the bill on Friday, joined by 25 Democrats. The Hillreports:

While the failure of the resolution will not prevent the nuclear pact from taking effect, the vote serves as a rebuke of Obama, who has staked his foreign policy legacy on defusing the Iranian threat through diplomacy.

[....] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has scheduled another vote on the Iran deal disapproval resolution when the chamber returns next week. The outcome, however, is unlikely to change, with 42 Democrats preventing a resolution from passing.

While the full roll call has yet to be released, the 25 Democrats who voted against the deal are Reps. Brad Ashford (Neb.), Brendan Boyle (Pa.), Tony Cardenas (Calif.), Ted Deutch (Fla.), Eliot Engel (N.Y.), Lois Frankel (Fla.), Gwen Graham (Fla.), Gene Green (Texas), Alcee Hastings (Fla.), Steve Israel (N.Y.), Ted Lieu (Calif.), Dan Lipinski (Ill.), Nita Lowey (N.Y.), Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.), Grace Meng (N.Y.), Grace Napolitano (Calif.), Donald Norcross (N.J.), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Kathleen Rice (N.Y.), David Scott (Ga.), Brad Sherman (Calif.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Albio Sires (N.J.), Juan Vargas (Calif.) and Filemon Vela (Texas).

In response to the vote, the National Iranian-American Council (NIAC) Action executive director Jamal Abdi applauded "each lawmaker in the House who voted in support of the nuclear agreement with Iran and voted against related measures to undermine or block the deal's implementation."

"In the end, opponents of the agreement lost because their arguments were simply not credible," Abdi said. "For those of us who don't want another war and oppose the spread of nuclear weapons, we can only be grateful that the negotiations with Iran were led by American diplomats rather than its politicians."

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.