Tenney Leads Letter to President Biden Calling for Senior Administration Officials to Testify Publicly on JCPOA 2.0 Negotiations

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) today led a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to ensure his Administration’s senior officials appear publicly before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to provide much-needed transparency about ongoing nuclear deal negotiations with the Iranian regime.

The Biden Administration has been engaged in negotiations for a renewed nuclear deal with Iran, led by U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley. Since his appointment on January 28, 2021, Mr. Malley has appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee for one closed-door briefing and has failed to appear for any public hearings on the matter. Reports about disarray within the State Department’s Iran team, Russia’s increasingly central role in the negotiations, and unfavorable deal terms all increase the need for senior Administration officials to appear before Congress in a public setting.

“Iran presents pressing security challenges to the United States and the world. The regime is engaged in hostage diplomacy and its growing nuclear program has already advanced far beyond what was allowed by the original nuclear deal. This brinksmanship must not be allowed to go on any longer,” said Tenney. “While Iran continues to utilize its terrorist proxies to press its regional advantage and expand its control, Senior Administration officials like Rob Malley are dodging questions from Congress and the American people by refusing to appear in public before the Foreign Affairs Committee. Today, I call on President Biden to ensure his Administration is transparent with the American people.”

“A new nuclear agreement with Iran has serious implications for U.S. national security. The administration owes the American people and their representatives in Congress an account of the current state-of-play of negotiations, when it will conclude those talks have failed, and what it will do next to protect the United States and its partners from the Iranian threat. I applaud Rep. Tenney and the co-signers of the letter for urging the administration to testify publicly about its Iran nuclear policy," said Mike Makovsky, Ph.D., President and CEO of Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

“Special Envoy Robert Malley works for the American people, and he should answer to them. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s commitment to an open relationship with Congress is more important and timelier than ever. On behalf of the American people, we therefore urge you to ask these senior officials to appear before a public hearing to provide crucial transparency about your plans and efforts to prevent a nuclear Iran,” the lawmakers wrote in part.

The letter was also signed by Reps. Don Bacon, Gregory Steube, Ronny Jackson, and Maria Salazar.

The full text of the letter is available here.

Dear Mr. President:

Nuclear negotiations with Iran have reached a critical decision point, with talks paused, Iran increasing its aggression, and the way forward uncertain. Senior officials in your administration have suggested a deal might still be possible but have also warned they might need to “very quickly consider an alternative path.” Congress and the nation deserve to understand how your administration plans to fulfill your “unshakable commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” yet to date only closed-door classified briefings have been provided to Congress. This is a start, but it is not enough. Special Envoy Robert Malley works for the American people, and he should answer to them. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s commitment to an open relationship with Congress is more important and timelier than ever. On behalf of the American people, we therefore urge you to ask these senior officials to appear before a public hearing to provide crucial transparency about your plans and efforts to prevent a nuclear Iran.

This is even more pressing, given the serious U.S. national security risks of a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and recent Iranian attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq. The regime in Tehran is advancing its nuclear program so far beyond the original deal that trying to rejoin it provides only diminishing benefits for the United States – as your administration has cautioned repeatedly for months – while giving Iran sanctions relief to ramp up its ongoing aggression against U.S. and allied interests around the Middle East. Additionally, Tehran’s glide path to a legitimized nuclear weapons program under the JCPOA is shorter today than six years ago when the agreement first was implemented.

The Obama administration understood the importance of explaining their policy and objectives to the American people. Officials from that administration, including ones currently serving in your administration, testified publicly before Congress before the JCPOA was agreed to in 2015. With uncertainty surrounding the status of the negotiation the American people have a right to know what their diplomats agreed to in Vienna, what alternatives your administration is considering, and how you intend to address the wider range of threats from Iran – including its increasingly dangerous missile and drone programs and taking American hostages.

Therefore, we call upon your administration to uphold its commitments and testify openly on negotiations in front of the full House Foreign Affairs Committee immediately, before any deal is agreed in Vienna or talks collapse.

Sincerely,

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