Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is probably the most pressured lawmaker in Washington, D.C. right now, as he makes up his mind whether or not to support President Obama's nuclear weapons agreement with Iran. Thus far, he
insists to Politico his is undecided, but he's the focus of a heavy-duty lobbying effort from many fronts.
More than 10,000 phone calls have flooded his office line the past two weeks, organized by a group looking to kill the deal. Another group has dropped seven figures on TV in New York City to pressure Schumer and other lawmakers to vote against the plan. The powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee has put its muscle behind an effort to lobby the New Yorker against it. ...
In an interview with POLITICO, Schumer insisted he’s still weighing his vote. He said he would decide based on the merits of the deal, not lobbying from either side.
“I haven’t made up my mind,” said Schumer, who is in line to be the first Jewish Senate leader next Congress.
The lobbying effort against the deal seems to be much stronger than that of its supporters, minus President Obama, who has been personally contacting lawmakers. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) reports that calls coming from his home state are 10-1 against the deal, though there are groups lobbying support of the bill as well, including the National Iranian American Council and liberal Jewish group J Street.
The deal picked up some significant support over the past week, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sander Levin (D-MI). Another new key supporter is Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who is ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. Congress has 60 days to consider the agreement, with a September 17th deadline. To stop the lifting of legislative sanctions against Iran, Republicans need a veto-proof, two-thirds majority in the Senate.