Twelve lawmakers have voiced support for Iran deal: White House

Schumer, the most influential Jewish member of Congress, is a top contender to assume the position of Senate Democratic leader when Sen.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., will oppose the Iran nuclear deal, the sixth Jewish Democrat in Congress to declare himself against the deal.

Schumer – a congressional ally of Israel, a leading fundraiser and strategist for his party and a lawmaker from a state that is home to more than a million-and-a-half Jews – had been under intense pressure. Chuck Schumer and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – have repeatedly argued that Iran’s supreme leader can not be trusted.

The GOP clearly has the votes, and will send a disapproval measure to President Obama, in September in regard to the Iran nuclear deal.

We won’t know until Congress returns from recess how this may affect the fate of the deal, but some say Schumers vote was a critical one.

Schumer and Engel, both from New York, made their announcements on Thursday.

A source closely tracking the issue said before Schumer’s decision, it appeared possible for Democrats to have mustered the 41 votes they needed to use procedural votes in the Senate to block the Republican vote to “disapprove” of the deal.

And his rejection of the Iran deal, announced Thursday night, exactly mirrors the fears of the American people themselves, as seen in poll after poll.

And Schumer is not the only Democrat coming out against the deal.

“There’s no denying that this difference of opinion that emerged overnight is one that has existed between Senator Schumer and President Obama for over a decade”, Earnest said, adding that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Democrats punish the New York Senator over his act.

Schumer, who is poised to assume leadership in his party, said he will oppose the deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program negotiated by the U.S. and five world powers.

Schumer, the number three Senate Democrat and a potential successor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he concluded the U.S. would be better off without the agreement after a careful and deliberate evaluation of the deal. He said in his statement he opposed the nuclear deal because he believed Iran would not change and that the deal would let it eliminate sanctions while retaining “nuclear and non-nuclear power”.

Schumer and Engel’s opposition to the deal is likely to hurt President Obama’s campaign to win the support from Democrats.

“Better to keep US sanctions in place, strengthen them, enforce secondary sanctions on other nations, and pursue the hard-trodden path of diplomacy once more, difficult as it may be”, he said.

But it’s not just Republicans opposing the plan.

“Senator Schumer at least read the agreement, talked to the experts who were involved in negotiating, spent time talking to experts who understand the nuclear basis for some of the strategic conclusions that were reached by our negotiators”, Earnest said.