Here is today update: Congress Update January 15, 2015 Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Assignments The House Foreign Affairs Committee has scheduled its organizational meeting for next Wednesday. In advance of the hearing Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., and ranking member Eliot Engel, D-NY released the Republican and Democratic rosters for the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee - pretty much the same lot as last Congress, many of which are distinguished for having a lousy voting record on Syria: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman (pro-Syria) Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) (pro-Syria) Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) (Neutral) Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) (Neutral & new member) Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) (anti-Syria) - recently compared Obama to Hitler over the U.S. not sending anyone to the Paris march. Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) (anti-Syria) Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) (anti-Syria) Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) (anti-Syria) Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL) (anti-Syria) Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI) (freshman) Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) (freshman) Rep. Ted Deutch, (D-FL), Ranking Member (pro-Syria) Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) (Neutral) Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) (anti-Syria) Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) (anti-Syria) Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) (anti-Syria) Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) (anti-Syria) Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) (anti-Syria) Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) (freshman) Iran Sanctions Congressional formulation of legislation to strengthen the U.S. sanctions regime against Iran is coming into shape, but the two chambers may find themselves at odds over what President Obama will end up vetoing. Royce and Engel met with Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., to discuss the legislative strategy in the upper chamber where it is expected the base bill will be the 2013 bipartisan bill introduced Foreign Relations ranking member Bob Menendez, D-NJ and Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. Royce and Engel say the House will not rubber stamp whatever the Senate ends up passing. They argue the House has more leverage in any conference negotiations with the Senate because it easily passed a sanctions bill in 2013. Next Tuesday the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing titled the strategic necessity of Iran sanctions. Witnessed have not been announced but given the meetings theme it does not appear panelists will be front-loaded with Obama administration officials who will stress any punitive actions by Congress will disrupt the nuclear talks with Iran. The Banking Committee in February 2012 approved sanctions legislation (S 2101) introduced by former-Chairman Tim Johnson, D-SD but was shelved on the floor in favor of a compromised text of the House-passed Iran Threat Reduction and Syrian Human Rights Act (P.L. 112-158) signed by Obama in August 2012. The law included provisions (view page 7 of section-by-section summary) against Syrian human rights violators. Johnson, who retired in 2014, was prepared to move sanctions legislation through the committee last year but only in the event nuclear negotiations had failed, Politico reported. The panels last received an update status on the P5 + 1 talks at a hearing in December 2013. If Republicans in Congress had their way the U.S. would be doing much more than hitting Iran economically. At the Heritage Foundations Conservative Policy conference earlier this week, freshman Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a member of the Armed Services Committee, argued strongly for a policy of stick and no carrots. Washington should adopt policies dedicated to the goal of regime change in Tehran. Cotton called for a clear message be made to the Iranians on the threat of force by the U.S. and if necessary by Israel. The Senator recommended supplying Tel Aviv surplus B-52 bombers.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 01:07:59 +0000
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