Bill is companion legislation to Hagerty-authored bill in the United States Senate
WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today applauded the House of Representatives’ passage of the House version of the Hagerty-authored Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act (ISRRA). The bill would ensure that the President submits any sanctions relief relating to Iran for congressional review and would provide a backstop if the Executive Branch attempts to evade the legal requirements for congressional review of any agreement related to Iran’s nuclear program contained in the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (Public Law 114-17).
“After Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel last week and as Iran’s terror-sponsoring regime continues to pursue nuclear weapons to harm Americans and our regional partners and allies, it is crucial to provide safeguards if President Biden persists in his attempts to circumvent Congress and lift sanctions on Iran,” said Senator Hagerty. “I applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for passing this important and timely legislation, and I thank Representative Self for his leadership. I urge my Senate colleagues to follow the House’s lead and move swiftly to pass this bill in the Senate immediately.”
Background:
- In the 117th Congress, Hagerty first introduced the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act in April 2021 as the Biden Administration announced that it was prepared to lift sanctions on Iran as part of its effort to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In the 118th Congress, Hagerty and Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID) led a group of 41 Senators to reintroduce ISRRA in June 2023.
- The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA)—which passed the Senate by a 99-1 vote in 2015—requires the President to submit any “agreement with Iran relating to the nuclear program of Iran” for congressional review, including a potential vote in each chamber on a joint resolution of disapproval.
- News reports, however, have suggested that the Biden Administration may pursue “an informal understanding with Iran” because “[a]ny formal agreement or even a less formal understanding, which appears far more likely, could force a review in Congress, where Republicans and some Democrats strongly oppose a nuclear deal with Iran.”
- At a June 2023 event hosted by a non-governmental organization and posted on social media, Tess Bridgeman—who served as Deputy Legal Adviser to the National Security Council from 2014 to 2017—explained the Executive Branch’s apparent approach. “With elections coming up, we are not going to see the Administration do anything that will require a vote in Congress, so I think it is important to keep in mind as we propose alternatives that they be in that realm of discretionary unilateral gestures,” Bridgeman said, adding: “Something that is written down on a piece of paper for all sides to try to implement is a recipe for Congress making it impossible.”
- ISRRA draws on the precedent found in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA, Public Law 115-44). Section 216 of CAATSA authorizes congressional review—including a potential vote in each chamber on a joint resolution of disapproval—of certain actions relating to sanctions imposed with respect to the Russian Federation.
- ISRRA applies the same standard of congressional review procedures described in Section 216 of CAATSA to certain actions relating to sanctions imposed with respect to Iran. In other words, ISRRA preserves and protects the role of Congress if the Executive Branch, under any Administration, attempts to circumvent INARA, including by using an unwritten agreement that includes sanctions relief relating to Iran.
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