Senate votes for voice in nuclear talks with Iran

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted last week to give Congress a voice over the nuclear agreement being negotiated with Iran.

The bill would give lawmakers a month to review the pact being negotiated among Iranian leaders, Secretary of State John Kerry, and representatives of Russia, China, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Congress could adopt a resolution of disapproval but that in turn could be vetoed by President Barack Obama.

Nevertheless, Capitol Hill leaders said the review period would give the American people through their representatives an oversight role on the deal that aims to stymie Iran’s development of nuclear weapons.

The House, which was not in session last week, was expected to vote on the bill in the next few days. The White House initially opposed the bill but relented during negotiations with key senators.

The key vote came on a cloture motion to end debate, which effectively cut off hard-liners who wanted the Senate to toughen the bill, including an amendment that would require Iran to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. Opponents said that amendment and others similar were “poison pills” that would collapse bipartisan support for the bill.

The vote to end debate was 93-6. Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., voted to end debate. After that, the bill won final passage, 98-1 with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., the lone dissenter.

BUDGET BLUEPRINT PASSED

In a largely party-line vote of 51-48, the Senate approved a Republican-written budget plan that would cut federal spending by $5.3 trillion over 10 years.

Supporters said the plan would balance the budget in less than a decade.

Opponents said it was written with smoke and mirrors and calls for actions that Congress is unlikely to pass such as repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

The blueprint does not carry the force of law. It is supposed to guide congressional committees in drafting follow-up bills to accomplish its goals but so far there appeared to be little committee effort to do so.

Heller voted for the budget plan; Reid voted against it.