WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Facing pressure from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the White House has indicated that President Barack Obama is willing to sign legislation giving Congress the power to review a potential agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program.
In his daily briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the administration was not going to be particularly thrilled about the legislation but suggested that Obama could support a compromise bill.
Earnest noted that Obama previously threatened to veto similar legislation but said the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee agreed to make a substantial number of changes to address the president's concerns.
'We've gone from a piece of legislation that the President would veto to a piece of legislation that's undergone substantial revision such that it is now in a form of a compromise that the President would be willing to sign,' Earnest said.
The press secretary's comments came ahead of a mark-up of the proposed legislation by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee subsequently voted 19 to 0 in favor of the bill including some of the changes requested by the administration.
Notably, the legislation cut the time in which Congress can review any final nuclear agreement to 30 days from 60 days.
The bill approved by the committee also eliminated the requirement that Obama regularly certify that Iran is not supporting acts against the United States.
However, the legislation does require the president to provide Congress with an assessment of Iran's compliance with the agreement every 90 days.
The review period would also revert to 60 days if the deal is submitted after July 9th, which is ten days after the June 30th deadline for a final agreement.
With approval from the Foreign Relations Committee, the bill now heads to the full Senate, where it is expected to pass.
Nonetheless, it is worth noting that the Senate could make additional changes to the bill that lead to a renewed veto threat from Obama.
The debate over Congressional review of the deal comes on the heels of the announcement of a framework agreement earlier this month.
The deal reached by negotiators from the U.S. and Iran as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China would limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
Lawmakers from both parties have argued that Congress should have the opportunity to weigh in on the agreement, while Obama has previously warned that a vote could hinder the ongoing negotiations.
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