Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 -- Resumed

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORKER. I thank the Senator. I want to thank the Senator from South Carolina for his distinguished leadership on so many national security issues. I understand his frustration with our inability to actually take a vote on something that is such a commonsense measure. I also respect the committee process, as you could imagine, with the role I play and wished that our committee would actually take up this piece of legislation.

I actually tried to offer something very similar to this in committee, and I actually did offer it, and the bill that was being offered, too, was taken down and no votes taken, because, again, of not wanting to deal with this issue.

So I thank the gentleman from South Carolina for desiring to make something happen on this. As he mentioned, all of us want to ensure a successful negotiation. I cannot imagine there is a person in this body who doesn't want the negotiations between the P5+1 to end up with a good long-term conclusion. I agree based on the signals that are being sent. There are a lot of bipartisan concerns that have been expressed on this floor by people of both sides of the aisle, because people understand that this body, along with working with the House, put in place the sanctions that have actually gotten us to the place where we are in the negotiations. The initial agreement that was put in place was so much weaker than even the U.N. security resolutions that passed over and over and over relative to Iran.

So I agree that by having us making the final say on this negotiation that it gives the administration some added strength that they were unable to show in the beginning. Obviously Iran is trying to tilt toward those within their own body, their own citizens, who certainly are concerned about negotiations and continue to bring that out throughout the negotiations. It seems to me that Congress would be an outstanding countervailing force. And obviously something of this magnitude--especially when Congress brought us to the table--this is the kind of thing that should be weighed upon.

What the bill would do is obviously give us the opportunity within a defined amount of time to vote up or down on whether we agree that this should be put in place. It also puts in place some enforcement mechanisms. Then it also puts a clock on the negotiations, so, again, we cannot have these continual extensions.

I recently read the newest book Henry Kissinger wrote. It was a great book to read, but it put in place one of the chapters that focused on these Iran negotiations and lays out the fact--and I know the distinguished Presiding Officer today knows this well because he focuses so much on nuclear issues and, like me, is very concerned about proliferation around the world. I have enjoyed working with him on the Foreign Relations Committee. Interestingly, one of the chapters lays out the progression that occurs. And Iran, just by stalling each time these negotiations take place, ends up in a better place. Again, I think all of us were very shocked with the interim agreement that was put in place first. I think this is a very commonsense piece of legislation.

Let me point out something my friend from South Carolina did not point out. Without this, this is what is going to possibly happen--I hope it doesn't, but possibly happen. The administration can enter into a deal. The way we have crafted the sanctions, no permanent--no permanent--arrangement can be made to undo the sanctions. Only Congress can do that. But the way the sanctions regime has been put in place, the President in many cases does have the ability on a temporary basis to do away with the sanctions. It is evident that the administration very much wants something to happen. I want to see something happen, but the way this has gone, it appears they want something to happen that possibly will not stand the test of time.

Let's say they enter into an arrangement by November 24. They undo the sanctions temporarily. If that happens, basically the work that has been done around here for years is over. It is done because it will be impossible from a practical standpoint to ever get those sanctions back in place, especially sanctions with the many other countries that are involved.

So if the President enters into an agreement and temporarily does away with sanctions, I think everybody in this body understands it is going to be almost impossible for those to be put back in place. So the damage is already done. And that is why it is so important from my perspective, with Congress having played the role that Congress has played to help put us into this position, very important for Congress to have the opportunity to have the congressional review this bill lays out.

Look, I think it is pretty evident with the denying, if you will, of this bill coming to the floor, which was expected, I think it is very evident that Congress is not going to have the opportunity between now and the 24th to weigh in. It is my hope that somehow if these negotiations unfortunately end up putting us in a very bad place--I hope that doesn't happen. I hope the outcome is much better than what is anticipated. But if it ends up unfortunately being something that is not good for our country, I hope what will happen is the next time we ask to bring this bill up--because of time being of the essence, the next time it would be brought up, hopefully Members of this body would agree that Congress would weigh in in a rightful manner. Congress would weigh in to make sure we don't enter into a deal as a nation that puts us in a very bad place in the longer term relative to what Iran is doing.

I thank the Presiding Officer for allowing me to speak. I do not see Senator Rubio here in the body.

I yield the floor. It is my sense that Senator Rubio may come down and want to speak to this.

But I do want to say in closing, all of us here hope the administration puts our Nation and the world in a place to know that Iran will not have the capability of developing nuclear weapons. That is what this piece of legislation is about. Without it, I hope the administration still does that, obviously, and that we wake up on November 25 surprised--but happily surprised--that we ended up in a place that will stand the test of time.

I yield the floor and it has been a while, but I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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