The Most Consequential Debate in the History of our Country

This week the United States House of Representatives acted to stop President Obama’s dangerous nuclear deal with Iran. I truly believe this will prove to be one of the most consequential debates in the history of our country.

Click here to view my speech on the House floor urging my colleagues to reject the deal.

First, the House voted to halt the deal until all documents – including reported secret side deals – are turned over to Congress for review. The legislation passed by the House with my support specifies that the Obama Administration has failed to abide by the terms of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015. That law, which I supported, requires the terms of any nuclear agreement with Iran to be transmitted to Congress to be reviewed for up to sixty days. This vote was necessary because the administration has not lived up to its requirements under the law.

Senior Obama Administration officials, including National Security Adviser Susan Rice, have acknowledged secret side deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which would be charged with enforcing any nuclear agreement. While the Administration has been informed of their contents, they have not provided the documents to Congress for review.

While I’ve seen enough to know that I strongly oppose this deal, the Obama administration must provide Congress with all information related to these dangerous negotiations that will impact the safety and security of our homeland and the entire world.

Next, I voted to strip the President of his ability to lift economic sanctions on Iran. Under the nuclear deal, Iran will have access to $100 billion to $150 billion in hard currency, mainly oil sales proceeds, which it has been unable to repatriate to its Central Bank. Banks around the world, particularly those in South Korea and Japan holding the funds, have been cooperating with U.S. sanctions by refusing to transfer those assets to Iran. Economists estimate that Iran’s economy will grow from 2% to as much as 9% in the first year after sanctions are lifted.

We all know this massive payout won’t be spent on schools, hospitals or the needs of Iranian people. The reality is that billions of dollars will be spent on new weapons, cracking down on pro-democracy activists inside Iran, and continuing to spread terrorism around the world. These longstanding sanctions helped to bring Iran to its knees and now the President is eager take off the pressure. Eliminating these sanctions is paving the way for Iran to threaten the safety of Americans and our allies around the world like Israel.

Finally, I voted to completely reject the deal. Providing for the common defense is such a central and fundamental responsibility of the federal government that it was enshrined in the preamble to our Constitution. This deal does just the opposite – it puts the United States and our allies around the world in danger. This is not just a bad deal for America; it is a dangerous deal for the entire world. It rewards the world’s leading terrorist regime while exposing our allies and launching a nuclear arms race in the most unstable region in the world.

We must reject this deal and stand strong as a country resolute in our pursuit of freedom and justice, stand with our allies, and stand with the American people who overwhelmingly oppose this deal.

I will continue to fight to put a stop to this dangerous deal and I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to do the same.

From our Nation's Capitol XXXIV

Tuesday, September 8, 2015: I’m back in Washington this morning and the first thing I do when I get here is to head to the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) in the Capitol to view the proposed Iran nuclear deal. The SCIF is where they keep classified and sensitive materials for members to view. Although I have been briefed on the deal by the administration and others, this is the first time I have had the opportunity to read it myself. As a member of Congress, I am allowed to view the deal but cannot have any electronic devices, such as a phone, with me nor can I take any notes. The deal is quite lengthy and, as one would expect, contains many nuclear details relating to uranium enrichment and facilities. The papers I am able to view also contain correspondence between leaders of the countries making up the P5 + 1 group , China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as details as to how the economic sanctions will be lifted. Conspicuously absent from the documents are the two secret side deals between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the administration has acknowledged exist and that they are required by law to transmit to Congress before the 60 day congressional review period can begin. Congress has the ability to review this deal because of legislation we passed in May requiring the Obama administration to provide all information relating to the deal to Congress. Afterwards, I head back to my office for our weekly staff meeting. Since I have not been in Washington for a while, I get caught up with my D.C. staff on what they have been doing during the district work period. One of the most important lessons that I have learned in my first eight months in Congress is that this is a team sport and you must have a good team in order to succeed. I learned in my business career the importance of surrounding yourself with good people and have emulated that in Washington. As I expected, our staff has been very busy during the recess preparing for what we all know will be a very busy and intense next few months. Next, I meet with representatives from the Atlanta Regional Commission to discuss water legislation impacting Georgia in relation to Alabama and Florida. I have dealt with water issues my entire political career beginning when I was Mayor of Pooler and continuing when I served in the Georgia Legislature. As I am quickly learning, the current lawsuit and tenuous relations over this subject between these three Southeastern neighbors extends to the federal level as well. My next meeting is our weekly Whip meeting where we are honored to be joined by the Honorable John Bolton, former permanent Representative of the United States of American to the United Nations. Ambassador Bolton is an expert on the Iran Nuclear Deal and shares with us his views on what he describes as one of the most crucial issues we will ever face. He makes his opposition to the deal well known and outlines clearly and succinctly what he feels are the deficiencies of the deal. Finally, we have our first and only vote of the day as we pass S. 1359, the E-Warranty Act of 2015.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015: My day starts today with a meeting of the Republican Conference where, of course, the main topic of conversation is the Iran nuclear deal. At this point, leadership is planning on holding a vote on a resolution of disapproval of the deal later in the day as is called for in the Corker-Cardin legislation that was passed earlier this year and signed into law by President Obama. However, many members of the caucus are concerned about the secret side deals that the administration has admitted exist and that have not been transmitted to Congress. After hearing the outcry from members, leadership wisely agrees to take this into consideration and seek legal counsel before moving forward. Following this important meeting, I head to a Committee on Oversight and Government Reform meeting where we are discussing recent violence on the border in Mexico and how to keep U.S. personnel safe. An important component of keeping our embassy personnel safe is training and I take the opportunity to inquire about the proposed Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) to be built in the near future. A link to my questions can be found here. Next, I head to the House chamber to address the House during one minute speeches where I wish my wife, Amy, a happy 37^th Wedding Anniversary. Later, I meet with representatives of the National Limousine Association to discuss issues of importance to them before meeting with representatives of the Southern Cotton Growers followed by a meeting with representatives from the American Equity Life (AEL) Insurance Company. Later, I attend a very rare second meeting of the day of the Republican Conference where leadership presents us with a new strategy on how we will deal with the Iran nuclear deal. My last meeting of the day is with representatives of the Georgia Trail Lawyer’s Association.

Thursday, September 10, 2015: My morning starts early with a radio interview with Atlanta all-news station 106.7 followed by a meeting with the Georgia Golf Industry, another industry that has been impacted by the overreach of the EPA and the Waters of the USA ruling. Following this, I meet with staff of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be briefed on their report that will be released in October dealing with FAST-C. After listening to their explanations of their review it is becoming even clearer that the State Department is doing everything in their power to have this site located at Fort Pickett, Virginia, rather than at the better and less expensive alternative at FLETC in Glynco, Georgia. After this very frustrating meeting, I head to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform meeting where we are discussing the Army Fee Assistance program, before heading back to my office to meet with representatives from ACE Cash express. Later, I head to the House chamber where I deliver a one minute speech opposing the Iran nuclear deal before heading to a member listening session on Planned Parenthood. Our first and only vote series of the day is held next as we vote to find that the President has not complied with section 2 of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 because he has not submitted the two secret side deals that his administration has acknowledged exist. After this, I preside over the House as Speaker pro-tem during debate on the Iran Nuclear deal.

Friday, September 11, 2015: Today is the 14^th anniversary of 9/11 and everyone in the Capitol observes a moment of silence at 8:46 in remembrance of our fallen heroes. We only have one vote series today, albeit an extremely important one, as we vote to reject the Iran nuclear deal and vote in favor of suspending until January 21, 2017, the authority of the President to remove sanctions on Iran as part of Iran nuclear deal. These are momentous votes and I am proud that we in the U. S. House of Representatives have taken these stands.