WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) — The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday sternly rejected the Obama administration’s nuclear pact with Iran — in the latest political move against the controversial agreement that will only amount, though, to a symbolic action.
The vote tally was 162-269 against the resolution. Every Republican voted against it, along with 25 members of President Barack Obama’s own party. Libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), R-Ky., voted “present” but did not cast an actual vote on the matter, The Hill reported.
The resolution was not put to a vote to actually impact the nuclear agreement with Iran — which limits Tehran’s nuclear activity to the laboratory for a decade — but rather it served more as a political rebuke to the controversial accord and to possibly give Republicans more leverage in next year’s elections.
The accord has effectively been safeguarded in the Senate, where a resolution to kill the deal fell short of its needed support Thursday afternoon.
“This vote is a victory for diplomacy, for American national security and for the safety and security of the world,” President Barack Obama said after the vote Thursday night.
Republicans also used the date Friday, the 14th anniversary of 9/11, to underscore their belief that Obama struck a bad deal with Iran that could jeopardize national security.
“Do not sacrifice the safety, the security and the stability of 300 million Americans for the legacy of one man,” Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), R-Pa., said as he stood next to a photo of the old World Trade Center towers burning on Sept. 11, 2001.
House Republicans also voted to pass a resolution prohibiting Obama from lifting the economic sanctions against Iran, which are part of the agreement. The resolution, which would still need pass multiple rounds of congressional approval, expires the day after the next president takes office in January 2017.
It is expected, though, that neither bill will be taken up by the Senate — meaning they will become merely symbolic actions.
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