The White House on Friday described Sen. Chuck Schumer’s opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran as “disappointing but not surprising,” and officials say they’re still confident Congress ultimately will approve the agreement.
Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat and the likely incoming Democratic Senate leader, announced Friday he would oppose the landmark nuclear deal with Tehran. Rep. Eliot Engel, New York Democrat and his party’s ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also came out against the agreement.
White House press secretary said Mr. Schumer’s decision to oppose the deal, in particular, merely is a continuation of the differences the senator has had with President Obama over foreign policy. Mr. Schumer supported the 2002 Iraq war resolution, for example, while the president opposed the war from the start.
“They have one vote,” Mr. Earnest said of Mr. Schumer’s and Mr. Engel’s decisions. “Anybody who has been covering American politics for the last 12 or 13 years would recognize the fault lines of this political argument. It’s not new. It’s a difference of opinion President Obama and Sen. Schumer have had dating back to 2003. All said, that’s why I would describe this as an announcement that was not particularly surprising to anyone here at the White House, even if it was disappointing.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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