David Price: “I thank my colleague from Minnesota and rise today in cautious support of this legislation. Our nuclear negotiators…”

“I thank my colleague from Minnesota and rise today in cautious support of this legislation. Our nuclear negotiators, with the cooperation of a fragile coalition of longstanding allies and new partners, have made historic progress toward preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, a critical foreign policy imperative for our country. We must continue to give diplomacy a chance and allow our negotiators to build on the framework agreement they negotiated earlier this spring. Many of our colleagues in the House of Representatives agree, Mr. Speaker. Just last week, Congresswoman Schakowsky, Congressman Doggett, and I sent a letter to the President urging persistence in negotiations, a letter that was signed by 148 of our colleagues. Diplomacy isn't just the best way of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran; it is the only way. Opponents of the President's efforts have yet to provide a single viable alternative to diplomacy short of military action, and military action, defense experts tell us, would only delay nuclear development for a few years. While I can understand why some Members of the House and Senate insisted upon congressional review of a final deal with such historic implications, I have strongly refused to support legislation or other congressional intervention that was likely to drive Iran from the negotiating table or to alienate our international partners.…”