With Schumer blocking bills to rein in Iran, let’s return to Trump’s pressure policy
By Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo)
October 22, 2024
Iran is America’s No. 1 enemy, or so Vice President Kamala Harris says. Yet Harris clearly has no answers for how to defeat this dangerous and growing threat.
That is one takeaway from Harris’ disastrous Fox News interview with Bret Baier last week.
When asked about the threat posed by Iran, Harris pivoted to partisan politics. “Let’s get back to Donald Trump,” she said.
I think that is exactly what we need to do. Let me tell you why.
President Trump was tough on Iran. His maximum pressure campaign brought the mullahs to their knees […]
If Iran is the No. 1 threat to America today, it is because of the policies of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.
Their administration relaxed oil sanctions on Iran. They allowed the Iranian dictatorship to bring in $200 billion in oil revenue since January 2021.
Biden-Harris let Iran get closer to a nuclear breakout than ever. Some experts predict Iran could have a bomb in mere weeks.
Remember, the Biden-Harris administration paid a $6 billion ransom to Iran for five hostages, just weeks before the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
Biden and Harris prepared to renegotiate the failed Iran nuclear deal, rescinded UN snapback sanctions, and reversed the Trump administration’s decision to sanction the Iranian-backed Houthis as a terrorist organization […]
Trump’s deterrence protected American lives. The defeatism of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden put us at risk.
It’s no wonder Harris is tight-lipped about her dangerous record.
Senate Republicans know how to counter Iran’s malign actions.
Sen. Jim Risch’s (R-Idaho) End Iranian Terror Act would make the Biden administration enforce Iranian oil sanctions and stop brazen Chinese sanction evasions.
Sen. Bill Hagerty’s (R-Tenn.) Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act would require congressional review of any sanctions relief for Iran, keeping the president from circumventing Congress through informal agreements.
Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) PUNISH Act would codify Trump’s maximum pressure policies and prohibit the lifting of sanctions as long as Iran targets American officials for assassination.
Each of these bills deserves to be debated and become law.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer isn’t letting that happen.
Hagerty’s bill passed the House in April with bipartisan support. Risch’s bill passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April with bipartisan support.
But we don’t expect Schumer and Senate Democrats to allow them to come to the floor this year.
That means stopping Iranian terror will be a top priority for next year’s Republican Senate majority.
When Harris says she wants to “get back to Donald Trump,” she’s not alone.
Americans overwhelmingly want to get back to Donald Trump and his successful foreign policy of peace through strength. They remember that we were safer when he was president.
So yes, let’s get back to Donald Trump.
Let’s get back to Trump sanctions. Let’s get back to Trump strength. Let’s get back to Trump common sense.
After four years of the Kamala Harris and Joe Biden disaster, America desperately needs it.
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CLICK HERE to read the full op-ed on the New York Post.