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"Trust, but verify."
Last week, the House debated President Obama's deal with Iran regarding their nuclear weapons program. I feel strongly that Iran cannot be trusted with a nuclear weapon, and this bad deal not only helps them obtain a nuclear bomb, but also sets them up to create an entire nuclear arsenal. As the largest state-sponsor of terrorism in the world, a nuclear armed Iran is a direct threat to America's national security and that of our allies like Israel, and will kickstart a dangerous nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East.
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On the House floor, fighting this bad Iran Deal
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After reading the agreement, I have many serious concerns about the devastating concessions being made to Iran. One of those concerns I raised on the House floor during the debate is about the secret side deals we have recently heard about through press reports. I called on the President to release all information to the American people regarding this agreement, especially any secret side deals, which reportedly allow Iran to inspect some of their own nuclear facilities. Iran is a country that has cheated on agreements in the past, and proven they cannot be trusted to comply with this bad deal. Just look at the recent rhetoric of Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who just last week led the chant, “Death to America." President Reagan said, "Trust, but verify." Under this agreement, President Obama is saying, trust Iran to verify.
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| On Fox News Radio, sharing my opposition to the Iran Nuclear Arms Deal |
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Iran can't be trusted to comply with the provisions of this deal, but even if they do, this agreement allows Iran to have more than 5,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium, and turns over more than $100 billion in frozen assets that they can use to continue funding terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, making Iran the world's bank of terror.
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| Discussing the multiple shortcomings of this deal with Alan Franco, of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) |
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The President lays out a false choice between accepting this deal or going to war. There is a much better choice, and it involves rejecting this dangerous agreement and then negotiating a better deal from a position of strength that protects America's national security, as well as the rest of the world, by requiring Iran to dismantle their nuclear weapons program completely.
A victory for our Constitution
The Obama Administration has tried to circumvent the Constitution in implementing Obamacare, and House Republicans have taken many steps to fight this bad law, including passing legislation to fully repeal Obamacare and suing the Obama Administration to stop its illegal activities. In the recent case, House of Representatives v. Burwell, House Republicans sued President Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority by spending billions of dollars Congress never appropriated on Obamacare. We achieved a significant victory just days ago when a federal court ruled in our favor and allowed our lawsuit against the President to move forward. This important ruling makes clear that the separation of powers is an unshakeable foundation of our republic and it must be respected and upheld. I will continue doing everything I can to fight President Obama’s reckless overreach and defend the Constitution.
An important step towards lifting the crude oil export ban
As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I am excited to provide an update on an important piece of legislation that’s vital to Louisiana job creation and American energy security. This week, our subcommittee on Energy and Power unanimously approved a bill that would lift the more than 40-year-old ban on American crude oil exports. Removing this relic of the 1970s would create one million American jobs, including thousands in Louisiana, increase energy production in the U.S. while lowering gas prices at the pump, and strengthening America's energy security.
The oil and gas industry, through rapid technological advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing and sheer force of will, has catapulted the United States into the world’s leading producer of energy. We now stand on the brink of becoming the world's leader in energy production, and that opportunity is enhanced by lifting this ban on oil exports. In my role as House Majority Whip, I will continue to actively advocate for removing this outdated ban to the rest of my House colleagues.
It is an honor to represent you in Congress. For more information please visit my website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
God Bless,
Steve Scalise
House Majority Whip
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