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Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, one of the party's most powerful lawmakers, has endorsed a bill in the Senate that could very well derail the diplomatic achievements between Iran, the U.S., and other world powers. (Photo: Getty)
Sen. Schumer Stands with Republicans in Opposing Iran Nuclear Agreement
As powerful Democrat comes out against White House position, GOP that much closer to having veto-proof majority for bill that could undermine diplomatic gains
Apr 07, 2015
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the influential Democrat from New York who will likely take over as Senate Minority Leader when colleague Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) finally steps aside, made it clear on Monday that he will stand with the Republican caucus in its bid to undermine ongoing efforts to reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran and other world powers.
Following a breakthrough last week that resulted in a framework agreement on Iran's nuclear program, Schumer cemented his position on the diplomatic efforts by endorsing a bill by Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Bob Mendendez (D-NJ) which would give Congress the right to review, and possibly reject, any final agreement made with Tehran over its nuclear program or the lifting of U.S.-imposed sanctions.
"This is a very serious issue that deserves careful consideration, and I expect to have a classified briefing in the near future," Schumer said in a statement first emailed to Politico. "I strongly believe Congress should have the right to disapprove any agreement and I support the Corker bill which would allow that to occur."
Long hawkish on foreign policy matters--and well-known as backing the desires of the pro-Israel establishment--Schumer's support for the bill is not surprising. As one senior Democratic aide toldThe Hill, "It's the same position he's always held."
However, given his increasingly powerful position in the party and the Senate, Schumer's public support for the Corker/Menendez bill now puts one of the Democrats most influential lawmakers at direct odds with the Obama administration which has repeatedly stated that congressional attempts to micro-manage negotiations with Iran would be paramount to diplomatic sabotage. With both the House and the Senate controlled by Republicans, the statement by Schumer puts the GOP that much closer to achieving a possible veto-proof majority in the Senate.
Speaking on Sunday, Sen. Corker said he believes he is getting close to having the necessary 67 votes in the Senate to override an Obama veto.
Robert Naiman, campaign director for Just Foreign Policy, points out Tuesday that other prominent Democrats in the Senate, as well as Independent Bernie Sanders, have all come out in favor of the recent framework agreement and can be expected to vote against Corker/Mendendez.
Over the weekend, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) confirmed her support for the deal by telling the hosts of The HuffPost Show that, "Finding a negotiated solution, something that works, something that doesn't involve trusting, something that involves verifying that Iran is not moving toward developing a nuclear weapon, that is our best promise in the region."
The worry remains, however, that Corker and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can round up enough Democratic defectors over the next several weeks.
As the New York Timesreports Tuesday:
The White House now views its central challenge as either negotiating a compromise with Mr. Corker or stopping enough Democrats from joining him so that he is short of a veto-proof majority, at least through June 30, the deadline to translate last week's preliminary agreement with Iran onto paper. After that, officials said, Mr. Obama may be in a stronger position to argue the merits of the accord.
Conservatives are in the meantime watching carefully to make sure Mr. Corker does not soften. "Corker is under enormous pressure from the White House to delay or weaken his own bill," said Dan Senor, a former Bush administration official. "But he has been strong on this issue, as has his committee and his caucus. I don't think he'll cave."
While the president said in an interview over the weekend that he was open to finding a way for Congress to "express itself" as long as it did not block his ability to carry out the agreement, aides worked on Monday to discourage the impression that he could accept even a nonbinding vote.
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Sen. Chuck Schumer, the influential Democrat from New York who will likely take over as Senate Minority Leader when colleague Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) finally steps aside, made it clear on Monday that he will stand with the Republican caucus in its bid to undermine ongoing efforts to reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran and other world powers.
Following a breakthrough last week that resulted in a framework agreement on Iran's nuclear program, Schumer cemented his position on the diplomatic efforts by endorsing a bill by Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Bob Mendendez (D-NJ) which would give Congress the right to review, and possibly reject, any final agreement made with Tehran over its nuclear program or the lifting of U.S.-imposed sanctions.
"This is a very serious issue that deserves careful consideration, and I expect to have a classified briefing in the near future," Schumer said in a statement first emailed to Politico. "I strongly believe Congress should have the right to disapprove any agreement and I support the Corker bill which would allow that to occur."
Long hawkish on foreign policy matters--and well-known as backing the desires of the pro-Israel establishment--Schumer's support for the bill is not surprising. As one senior Democratic aide toldThe Hill, "It's the same position he's always held."
However, given his increasingly powerful position in the party and the Senate, Schumer's public support for the Corker/Menendez bill now puts one of the Democrats most influential lawmakers at direct odds with the Obama administration which has repeatedly stated that congressional attempts to micro-manage negotiations with Iran would be paramount to diplomatic sabotage. With both the House and the Senate controlled by Republicans, the statement by Schumer puts the GOP that much closer to achieving a possible veto-proof majority in the Senate.
Speaking on Sunday, Sen. Corker said he believes he is getting close to having the necessary 67 votes in the Senate to override an Obama veto.
Robert Naiman, campaign director for Just Foreign Policy, points out Tuesday that other prominent Democrats in the Senate, as well as Independent Bernie Sanders, have all come out in favor of the recent framework agreement and can be expected to vote against Corker/Mendendez.
Over the weekend, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) confirmed her support for the deal by telling the hosts of The HuffPost Show that, "Finding a negotiated solution, something that works, something that doesn't involve trusting, something that involves verifying that Iran is not moving toward developing a nuclear weapon, that is our best promise in the region."
The worry remains, however, that Corker and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can round up enough Democratic defectors over the next several weeks.
As the New York Timesreports Tuesday:
The White House now views its central challenge as either negotiating a compromise with Mr. Corker or stopping enough Democrats from joining him so that he is short of a veto-proof majority, at least through June 30, the deadline to translate last week's preliminary agreement with Iran onto paper. After that, officials said, Mr. Obama may be in a stronger position to argue the merits of the accord.
Conservatives are in the meantime watching carefully to make sure Mr. Corker does not soften. "Corker is under enormous pressure from the White House to delay or weaken his own bill," said Dan Senor, a former Bush administration official. "But he has been strong on this issue, as has his committee and his caucus. I don't think he'll cave."
While the president said in an interview over the weekend that he was open to finding a way for Congress to "express itself" as long as it did not block his ability to carry out the agreement, aides worked on Monday to discourage the impression that he could accept even a nonbinding vote.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the influential Democrat from New York who will likely take over as Senate Minority Leader when colleague Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) finally steps aside, made it clear on Monday that he will stand with the Republican caucus in its bid to undermine ongoing efforts to reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran and other world powers.
Following a breakthrough last week that resulted in a framework agreement on Iran's nuclear program, Schumer cemented his position on the diplomatic efforts by endorsing a bill by Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Bob Mendendez (D-NJ) which would give Congress the right to review, and possibly reject, any final agreement made with Tehran over its nuclear program or the lifting of U.S.-imposed sanctions.
"This is a very serious issue that deserves careful consideration, and I expect to have a classified briefing in the near future," Schumer said in a statement first emailed to Politico. "I strongly believe Congress should have the right to disapprove any agreement and I support the Corker bill which would allow that to occur."
Long hawkish on foreign policy matters--and well-known as backing the desires of the pro-Israel establishment--Schumer's support for the bill is not surprising. As one senior Democratic aide toldThe Hill, "It's the same position he's always held."
However, given his increasingly powerful position in the party and the Senate, Schumer's public support for the Corker/Menendez bill now puts one of the Democrats most influential lawmakers at direct odds with the Obama administration which has repeatedly stated that congressional attempts to micro-manage negotiations with Iran would be paramount to diplomatic sabotage. With both the House and the Senate controlled by Republicans, the statement by Schumer puts the GOP that much closer to achieving a possible veto-proof majority in the Senate.
Speaking on Sunday, Sen. Corker said he believes he is getting close to having the necessary 67 votes in the Senate to override an Obama veto.
Robert Naiman, campaign director for Just Foreign Policy, points out Tuesday that other prominent Democrats in the Senate, as well as Independent Bernie Sanders, have all come out in favor of the recent framework agreement and can be expected to vote against Corker/Mendendez.
Over the weekend, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) confirmed her support for the deal by telling the hosts of The HuffPost Show that, "Finding a negotiated solution, something that works, something that doesn't involve trusting, something that involves verifying that Iran is not moving toward developing a nuclear weapon, that is our best promise in the region."
The worry remains, however, that Corker and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can round up enough Democratic defectors over the next several weeks.
As the New York Timesreports Tuesday:
The White House now views its central challenge as either negotiating a compromise with Mr. Corker or stopping enough Democrats from joining him so that he is short of a veto-proof majority, at least through June 30, the deadline to translate last week's preliminary agreement with Iran onto paper. After that, officials said, Mr. Obama may be in a stronger position to argue the merits of the accord.
Conservatives are in the meantime watching carefully to make sure Mr. Corker does not soften. "Corker is under enormous pressure from the White House to delay or weaken his own bill," said Dan Senor, a former Bush administration official. "But he has been strong on this issue, as has his committee and his caucus. I don't think he'll cave."
While the president said in an interview over the weekend that he was open to finding a way for Congress to "express itself" as long as it did not block his ability to carry out the agreement, aides worked on Monday to discourage the impression that he could accept even a nonbinding vote.
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LATEST NEWS
'Cruel and Dangerous': Trump Ends Protected Status for Afghans and Cameroonians
One advocate said the move was "yet another example of the Trump administration using immigration policy to target the most vulnerable among us."
Apr 12, 2025
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it was revoking the Temporary Protected Status—or TPS—for thousands of immigrants from Cameroon and Afghanistan who are currently living and working in the United States.
The move, the latest attempt by the administration to roll back protections for migrants in the U.S. who cannot safely return to their home countries due to conflict or natural disasters, comes despite the fact that advocates say conditions in both countries remain dangerous.
"TPS exists for a reason: to protect people whose return to their country would place them in grave danger. Afghanistan today is still reeling from Taliban rule, economic collapse, and humanitarian disaster. Nothing about that reality has changed," president and CEO of Global Refuge Krish O'Mara Vignarajah said in a statement. "Terminating protections for Afghans is a morally indefensible betrayal of allies who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us to advance American interests throughout our country's longest war."
"We cannot afford to lose this protection; our lives depend on it."
President Donald Trump made his promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants a central plank of his 2024 campaign. However, since taking office, he has consistently moved not only to crack down on undocumented immigration but to revoke the status of migrants who are in the country legally. This has included attempting to strip TPS from other nationalities, revoking visas and even green cards from immigrants from certain countries or who voice opinions the administration dislikes, and ordering nearly 1 million people who entered the country using a Biden-administration app to leave "immediately."
Friday's decision would impact more than 14,600 Afghans and 7,900 Cameroonians, who would now have to leave the country by May and June respectively, according to Al Jazeera.
TPS means that immigrants from certain countries undergoing conflict or hardship—who may not qualify for asylum—will not be deported and will be able to work legally in the U.S. until the situation in their home country improves.
Cameroonians have been grated TPS due to civil conflict between the government and separatists that sparked in 2017. The violence has collapsed the economy and forced almost 1 million people to flee their homes within the country. More than 1.8 million people there urgently need humanitarian assistance.
"TPS has been a lifeline that has allowed me to live in safety and dignity," Amos, a Cameroonian TPS holder and member of CASA—a group that organizes working class Black, Latino, African-descendant, Indigenous, and immigrant communities—said in a statement. "Returning to Cameroon would put me and thousands of others in grave danger, as violence and government attacks continue to devastate our communities back home. With the protection of TPS, I have been able to build a stable life in the U.S., contribute meaningfully to my community, and pursue a future full of promise. We cannot afford to lose this protection; our lives depend on it."
CASA executive director Gustavo Torres said: "By ending TPS for Cameroon, President Trump has again prioritized his instincts for ethnic cleansing by forcibly returning people to violence, human rights violations, and a humanitarian crisis in Cameroon that continues to place its citizens at severe risk. Cameroon clearly meets the statutory basis for the redesignation of TPS. This termination of TPS is a xenophobic attack that targets our families and neighbors and endangers the economy of the U.S."
In Afghanistan, the Taliban government continues to violate human rights, arresting Afghans who worked with the U.S.-backed government and severely limiting the freedom of women and girls.
"For Afghan women and girls, ending these humanitarian protections means ending access to opportunity, freedom, and safety," Vignarajah said. "Forcing them back to Taliban rule, where they face systemic oppression and gender-based violence, would be an utterly unconscionable stain on our nation's reputation."
In addition, the Biden administration determined in 2023 that conflict in the country contributed to internal displacement and economic instability, making it difficult for people there to access food, water, and healthcare.
Council on American-Islamic relations-California CEO Hussam Ayloush said:
Ending TPS for Afghans and Cameroonians is a cruel and dangerous escalation of the Trump administration's anti-immigrant agenda and a shameful betrayal of our moral and humanitarian obligations. These individuals have fled war, persecution, and instability—and, in the case of many Afghans, risked their lives to support U.S. operations. This decision will separate families and force people into the shadows. For some of them, TPS may be their only option for protection from deportation. It's yet another example of the Trump administration using immigration policy to target the most vulnerable among us. Decisions such as these deepen fear in our communities and erode trust in our government's commitment to protecting human rights.
There is a good chance, however, that the administration's decision will not stand up in court. A federal judge has already temporarily blocked its attempt to end protections for Venezuelans, saying the order was "motivated by unconstitutional animus."
"We will closely examine the terminations to determine whether the government complied with the TPS statute in determining Afghanistan and Cameroon are now safe to accept returns of their nationals as required by the TPS statute," Ahilan Arulanantham, an attorney who helped bring the case challenging the ending of TPS status for Venezuelans, told The New York Times.
'Bloodless Coup': NC Supreme Court Partially Upholds GOP Vote-Tossing Effort
"It is no small thing to overturn the results of an election in a democracy by throwing out ballots that were legally cast consistent with all election laws in effect on the day of the election," one dissenting justice said.
Apr 12, 2025
In what North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein called a "dark day" for the state, the North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday delivered a partial victory to Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin, who is challenging some 65,000 votes in his bid to overturn the narrow win of his Democratic opponent and incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs.
The Supreme Court, ruling 4-2, partially overturned an appeals court decision earlier this month that gave all the challenged voters 15 days to affirm their identities. Instead, the state's highest court ruled that around 60,000 ballots with registration inconsistencies would not be challenged, but approximately 5,000 overseas or military voters would have to verify their identities within 30 days. Riggs said she would challenge the ruling in federal court, and asked the court to temporarily block the order.
"I'm the proud daughter of a 30-year military veteran who was deployed overseas, and it is unacceptable that the court is choosing to selectively disenfranchise North Carolinians serving our country, here and overseas," Riggs said in a statement. "While I'm gratified to see the Court of Appeals reversed on the erroneous decision to potentially disenfranchise the more than 60,000 North Carolinians whose registration my opponent has recklessly challenged, I will not waiver in my fight to protect the fundamental freedoms for which our military service members and their families have sacrificed so much."
"This shocking decision abandons the judiciary's most basic role, to protect the rights of the people, and sanctions an outright attempt to steal an election."
Riggs won the November contest to remain on the state Supreme Court by 734 votes, but Griffin has challenged several thousand votes, predominantly on two grounds: Around 60,000 of the challenged votes are from in-state voters whose driver's license or social security numbers were missing from a state database of registered voters, while another approximately 2,000 to 7,000 are overseas or military voters who did not show ID when voting absentee. A significant number of the votes he challenged belonged to people living in Democratic-leaning counties.
The state Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the 60,000 in-state voters should not be challenged because their rights should not be denied due to “mistakes made by negligent election officials in registering citizens who are otherwise eligible to vote," as The New York Times reported.
However, the court allowed the challenge to the overseas votes to stand, even though overseas voters have never before been required to show ID since a state-voter ID law went into effect.
"Republicans are surgically targeting military voters from six counties and forcing them to re-prove themselves or be disenfranchised," Anderson Clayton, the chairwoman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said in a statement reported by the Times.
Finally, the court also allowed the votes of nearly 300 voters who had never lived in North Carolina—often the children of North Carolina residents who turned 18 while living abroad—to be tossed.
If the state Supreme Court's ruling stands and the military and overseas votes are rejected, Griffin has said he expects it will be enough to tip the election in his favor, WRAL News reported.
The two dissenting justices vehemently condemned the majority decision.
"It is no small thing to overturn the results of an election in a democracy by throwing out ballots that were legally cast consistent with all election laws in effect on the day of the election," Democratic Justice Anita Earls wrote. "Some would call it stealing the election, others might call it a bloodless coup, but by whatever name, no amount of smoke and mirrors makes it legitimate."
Justice Richard Dietz, a Republican, broke with his party and agreed that the court should not alter election laws after the fact. He also criticized his colleagues for not hearing arguments before making their decision.
"By every measure, this is the most impactful election-related court decision our state has seen in decades," Dietz wrote. "It cries out for our full review and for a decisive rejection of this sort of post hoc judicial tampering in election results."
State and national Democratic Party leaders also spoke out against the court's decision.
"Today is a dark day for our courts and our state," North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein wrote on social media. "The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that certain active duty military voters serving our nation must jump through hoops that other voters don't. All voters have a constitutional right to be treated equally under the law—it is foundational to our democracy. It's unconscionable, and this decision cannot stand."
Former Attorney General Eric Holder called the ruling "both a disgrace and legacy defining for those who put their names behind it."
"This shocking decision abandons the judiciary's most basic role, to protect the rights of the people, and sanctions an outright attempt to steal an election," he said in a statement. "The North Carolina Supreme Court's Republican majority has, for naked partisan reasons, cherrypicked whose votes count and whose do not. It is the height of political arrogance to tell military members who serve and sacrifice for our country, and other voters, that their votes and those of their family members are questionable."
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said: "Jefferson Griffin doesn't get to pick and choose whose votes count in an election—no politician does. The men and women serving in our military will not allow their voices to be silenced by a desperate loser like Griffin."
"The nation is watching North Carolina," Martin continued. "Meanwhile, the DNC and Democrats across this country stand ready to marshal resources and manpower to ensure every vote cast in this election is counted. The people's voices will be heard, and Justice Allison Riggs will take her rightful place on the North Carolina Supreme Court."
'No One Voted to Slaughter Hummingbirds': Trump's DOI Guts Bird Protections, Again
"Trump is breaking the law and flouting a court order by handing the fossil fuel industry and polluters this blank check to kill millions of migratory birds," one advocate said.
Apr 12, 2025
The Trump administration moved on Friday to weaken protections for migratory birds threatened by industrial activities, including oil and gas operations.
Acting Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Gregory Zerzan restored an opinion from the first Trump administration that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) "does not apply to the accidental or incidental taking or killing of migratory birds," despite the fact that this opinion was already ruled illegal in federal court.
"Trump is breaking the law and flouting a court order by handing the fossil fuel industry and polluters this blank check to kill millions of migratory birds," said Tara Zuardo, a senior campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. "The United States has lost billions of birds over the past 50 years, and that decline will accelerate horrifically because of this callous, anti-wildlife directive. No one voted to slaughter hummingbirds, cranes, and raptors, but this is the reality of Trump's illegal actions today."
"We're not going to succeed in addressing the crisis facing birds and other wildlife if we let this and other historic rollbacks stand."
The new directive comes as birds in the U.S. are under threat, with their numbers falling by around 30% since 1970. A number of factors are responsible for this decline, among them the climate emergency, habitat loss, falling insect populations, window strikes, and outdoor cats. However, conservationists told The New York Times that industrial activities would be a greater threat if not for the protection the law provides.
For example, Zuardo told the Times that if U.S. President Donald Trump's interpretation of the law had been in effect following BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010—which likely killed over 1 million birds—the company would not have been charged the around $100 million in fines that went to support bird conservation after the disaster.
Friday's directive is part of an ongoing effort over the course of both Trump administrations to weaken the MBTA so that it only targets the purposeful killing of birds, dropping enforcement against accidents such as as oil spills, drownings in uncovered oil pits, trappings in open mining pipes, and collisions with power lines or communication towers.
In 2017, lead Interior Department lawyer Daniel Jorjani issued an initial legal opinion claiming the MBTA only covered purposeful killings. This interpretation was struck down by a federal court in 2020, which argued that the act's "clear language" put it in "direct conflict" with the Trump opinion.
This didn't stop the Trump administration from issuing a final rule attempting to enshrine its interpretation of the MBTA at the end of Trump's first term, which was widely decried by bird advocates.
"We're not going to succeed in addressing the crisis facing birds and other wildlife if we let this and other historic rollbacks stand," Erik Schneider, policy manager for the National Audubon Society, said at the time.
However, months into the presidency of Joe Biden, DOI principal deputy solicitor Robert T. Anderson withdrew the initial 2017 Trump administration opinion after an appeals court, following the request of the U.S. government, dismissed the Trump administration's earlier appeal of the 2020 court decision.
"The lower court decision is consistent with the Department of the Interior's long-standing interpretation of the MBTA," Anderson wrote.
Later, the Biden administration also reversed the formal Trump-era rule weakening the MBTA.
Now, in his second term, Trump is coming for the birds again. The Biden-era withdrawal was one of 20 Biden-era opinions that the Trump DOI suspended in March. It was then officially revoked and withdrawn on Friday.
In justifying its decision, Trump's DOI cited the president's January 20 executive order "Unleashing American Energy," which calls on federal agencies to "suspend, revise, or rescind all agency actions identified as unduly burdensome," making it clear the weakening of protections is largely intended to benefit the fossil fuel and mining industries.
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