Ted Deutch: “I thank my friend, the ranking member, Mr. Engel, for his leadership today. I deeply appreciate the bipartisan way that…”

“I thank my friend, the ranking member, Mr. Engel, for his leadership today. I deeply appreciate the bipartisan way that he and Chairman Royce have run our committee when it comes to the goal that we all share of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. I am also grateful for the commitment that my friend Mr. Russell has made to this same issue and to his service to our country. This legislation, unfortunately, doesn't advance this goal that we share, nor does it prevent Iran's other provocative, illegal, and destabilizing regional activities. I opposed the nuclear deal. I have been clear about my concerns with the deal itself and with what Iran might try to do with billions of dollars in sanctions relief. I have also been clear about my frustration that the ballistic missile tests undertaken by Iran in violation of U.S. and international law have not yet resulted in sanctions either by the United Nations Security Council or by the administration. Given the dangerous behavior that we have seen out of Iran in the past months and weeks with respect to its illicit ballistic missile program and its continued funding of Hezbollah in Syria, we should be working together to put forward legislation that strengthens the enforcement of the JCPOA and prevents Iran from continuing its sponsorship of terror, its illegal missile development, and its gross human rights violations. This bill, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, doesn't do any of those things.…”