Thursday: Iran, lawsuits

by Jordain Carney - 09/17/15 9:39 AM ET

The Senate will vote Thursday on a push to link Israel and American hostages to the Iran nuclear deal.

Senators are expected to take a procedural vote at 11 a.m. on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) amendment that would block President Obama from lifting sanctions on Iran until after Tehran publicly recognizes Israel’s right to exist and releases Americans currently held in the country.

{mosads}McConnell brought up the vote after Democrats twice blocked the Senate from moving forward with a resolution of disapproval on the Iran deal.

The vote could be politically tough for Democrats, and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Wednesday that he was still trying to figure out if they would have the 41 votes needed to block the amendment.

But Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who oppose the Iran deal, will join supporters in voting “no” on moving forward with McConnell’s amendment. The switch could make it harder for Republicans to get the 60 votes needed to overcome the procedural hurdle.

Senators could also take a third procedural vote on a resolution disapproving the Iran deal. Sixty votes would also be needed to move the resolution of disapproval forward, and Democrats have twice blocked the legislation.

The votes come ahead of Thursday’s deadline for Congress to pass a resolution on the Iran deal. While House lawmakers have called on McConnell to use the “nuclear option” to bypass the 60-vote requirement, the Republican leader has suggested that he doesn’t support the tactic.

Meanwhile, House lawmakers will take up legislation that would mandate fines for frivolous lawsuits. The Obama administration said Wednesday that it “strongly opposes” the legislation, calling it “unnecessary and counterproductive.”

Votes in the House are expected between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with final votes between 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

Tags Ben Cardin Chuck Schumer Dick Durbin Mitch McConnell