McCarthy: It is both "ridiculous and insulting" that President Obama wants to strike a nuclear deal with Iran without consulting Congresss

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

"The fundamental responsibility of our government is the defense of our nation. Today, the House of

Representatives passed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, which gives our Armed Forces the tools they need to defeat any threat to our nation, whether it be a terrorist cell or rogue state. Much of the hard work that will go into translating this legislation into action will take place right here in our community, at world-class laboratories and testing facilities like those at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the Air Force Test Center on Edwards Air Force Base.

"The men and women in our military must have the latest technology and best equipment to achieve their mission. No matter how sophisticated our weapons become, however, it will always be the people behind the machines who are our greatest investment. This bill prohibits the Department of Defense from furloughing Working Capital Fund employees – like those who design and test weapon systems at China Lake. This bill authorizes Defense laboratories and test centers at Edwards and China Lake to hire more personnel directly, reducing bureaucracy by cutting out the Federal employment system, which is so slow and inefficient that it drives away many bright students who would otherwise serve their country. And just as this legislation strengthens those supporting the warfighter, it ensures that China Lake will have the land necessary for the Navy to continue to push the limits of revolutionary prototype technologies.

 "Keeping our nation secure and supporting the men and women who serve our country is one of Congress’ most fundamental duties. The House has acted. I hope the Senate quickly takes up the bill, so that our military community can receive the certainty they need and deserve.

 "Also this week, the House passed H.R 1191, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act.

 "The United States began negotiations with Iran to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, but the framework for a deal that President Obama presented us would not accomplish that objective. The American people and their representatives are rightly concerned about the direction of the negotiations, the threat of a nuclear Iran, and the President’s desire to unilaterally strike a deal.

 "It is both ridiculous and insulting that the President wants to bind our country to an agreement without even consulting the people’s elected representatives, especially since so many are concerned about the terms of a proposed deal. That’s why the House has acted this week, passing a bill that will give Congress the authority to review the Iran nuclear deal. It will stop the President from unilaterally lifting Congressional sanctions against Iran while we review the deal. It will require regular updates from the Administration on Iran’s compliance. And it will give the people’s representatives a say—a check and balance—as the Constitution requires.

 "This legislation is a minimum. The President should take it as a message from Congress that, as the negotiations go forward, the Administration must insist on major improvements to what is currently a dangerous initial understanding with Iran.