By IRN/John Gregory
Democrats in the U.S. Senate have enough votes to uphold a preserve the Iran nuclear deal, but U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is aiming for a higher goal.
Durbin’s vote count is 35 senators, all Democrats, who will vote against any resolution to block the agreement. Nine more have yet to state a position, and Durbin hopes to gain support from six of them, which means Democrats could block any vote on the deal.
“We continue to work them,” Durbin said. “We hope to have even more votes before we return to session next week. The president’s foreign policy, which I support, is going to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and avoid America going to war. Those are two good outcomes from where I stand.”
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is firmly in the opposition’s column, having been a vocal critic of the deal through the negotiation process.
Durbin says Democrats in the House are close to hitting their own threshold to uphold a veto. Four Illinois Democrats have yet to announce their position on the deal: U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley (D-Chicago), Dan Lipinski (D-Chicago), Bill Foster (D-Naperville), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Hoffman Estates), Durbin’s endorsed candidate in the U.S. Senate race.
