House to Address Dreaded Tax Day | Senate Committee 100% Approves Corker Iran Bill; Obama Blinks On Iran Nuke Vote

Today in Washington, D.C. - April 15
The House reconvened at 10:00 AM today.
Bills that may be considered today:
H.R. 1026 — "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit the release of information regarding the status of certain investigations."
H.R. 1058 — "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to clarify that a duty of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue is to ensure that Internal Revenue Service employees are familiar with and act in accord with certain taxpayer rights."
H.R. 1104 — "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a deduction from the gift tax for gifts made to certain exempt organizations."
H.R. 1152 — "To prohibit officers and employees of the Internal Revenue Service from using personal email accounts to conduct official business."
H.R. 1295 — "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve the process for making determinations with respect to whether organizations are exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4) of such Code."
H.R. 1314 — "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a right to an administrative appeal relating to adverse determinations of tax-exempt status of certain organizations."
H.R. 1562 — "To prohibit the awarding of a contract or grant in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold unless the prospective contractor or grantee certifies in writing to the agency awarding the contract or grant that the contractor or grantee has no seriously delinquent tax debts, and for other purposes."
H.R. 1563 — "To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that individuals having seriously delinquent tax debts shall be ineligible for Federal employment, and for other purposes."
H.R. 709 — "To provide for the termination of employment of employees of the Internal Revenue Service who take certain official actions for political purposes."

Yesterday the House passed:
H.R. 650 (263-162) — "To amend the Truth in Lending Act to modify the definitions of a mortgage originator and a high-cost mortgage."
H.R. 685 (286-140) — "To amend the Truth in Lending Act to improve upon the definitions provided for points and fees in connection with a mortgage transaction."

The Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM today. Following an hour of morning business, the Senate began consideration of the motion to go to Conference with the House on S. Con. Res. 11, the budget resolution.

At noon, the Senate voted 54-43 to agree to the motion to go to conference with the House on the budget and appoint conferees.

Last night, the Senate voted 92-8 to pass the bipartisan House-passed reform of Medicare payments for doctors (H.R. 2).

Prior to final passage, senators rejected three amendments to the bill offered by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Tom Cotton (R-AR). Three more amendments offered by Sens.Michael Bennett (D-CO), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) were rejected on budget points of order. The Senate then voted 71-29 to waive a budget point of order on the underlying bill.

Yesterday, Roll Call reported, “In the end, it was unanimous. After weeks of negotiations on language, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee backed legislation to provide for congressional review of any final deal on Iran’s nuclear program on a 19-0 vote, winning the support of senators from Rand Paul, R-Ky., to Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and everyone in between.

“Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who spearheaded the legislation with former chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., worked with new Foreign Relations ranking member Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., and other members including Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia to craft a bill that could win broad support, leading the White House to step back from a veto threat.”

The Daily Beast described the upshot of the committee vote: “In the standoff with Congress over the Iranian nuclear deal, President Obama just blinked.

“Faced with the prospect of a backlash from members of Obama’s own party on his signature foreign policy initiative, the White House on Monday said it’d be willing to sign a bill that will prevent the administration from lifting sanctions on Iran while Congress reviews whatever final deal is reached with Tehran over its nuclear program. The bill was passed unanimously, 19-0, by members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . . . .

“Now the White House will have to submit to the very congressional scrutiny it had long sought to avoid. A former U.S. weapons negotiator told The Daily Beast that congressional inspection of the deal was a win for the deal’s critics and could potentially upset further haggling over the fine print.”

The AP adds, “Legislation empowering Congress to reject an emerging Iran nuclear pact is expected to sail through Congress, leaving President Barack Obama with the tough task of selling the deal to skeptical lawmakers. . . . The full Senate is expected to consider the measure next week. The rare and reluctant agreement between the president and the Republican-led Congress came after the White House maintained for weeks that congressional interference could jeopardize sensitive negotiations with Tehran. . . .

“Despite the resistance from the White House, lawmakers from both parties insisted that Congress have a formal role in reviewing and possibly voting down any deal. ‘I have always supported congressional review of any final agreement with Iran,’ said Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the committee, who emphasized that the bill will not permit any legislative action until after the White House presents Congress with any final deal that can be reached to rein in Iran's nuclear program. . . . Cardin said ‘there is no trust when it comes to Iran.’ He said that's why the final agreement must be verifiable and transparent, and that it's clear that any violations would result in the restoration of the strongest possible sanctions. . . .

“Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker said Secretary of State John Kerry was lobbying against the measure on Capitol Hill just a few hours before the vote. Corker, R-Tenn., said the White House's sudden support was dictated by the number of senators - Republicans and Democrats - backing the measure.”

Indeed, Roll Call reported yesterday afternoon, “Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker said the White House’s about-face on his Iran legislation is likely because they were about to lose.> The White House went Tuesday from vowing to veto the Corker-Menendez Iran bill to backing an emerging compromise, with caveats. . . .

“But Corker, in a hallway interview, suggested the White House was spinning. ‘I’ve had no conversations with the White House about the substance of the bill. I’ve had only push back, even in the Kerry presentation. … My sense is they know this thing has run away and very likely is going to go well beyond the veto threat,’ the Tennessee Republican said in reference to the bill likely getting more than the 67 votes needed to override the president. . . . ‘This has always been what it is,’ the Tennessee Republican said. ‘This is the same legislation they’ve always opposed. … They are spinning you mightily. It has always been a vote on the sanctions. They are spinning you guys.’”

As The Wall Street Journal editors observe, “President Obama says he wants Congress to play a role in approving a nuclear deal with Iran, but his every action suggests the opposite.  After months of resistance, the White House said Tuesday the President would finally sign a bill requiring a Senate vote on any deal—and why not since it still gives him nearly a free hand. . . .

“The Republican Congress has been trying to reclaim a modest role in foreign affairs over Mr. Obama’s furious resistance. And on Tuesday afternoon the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously passed a measure that authorizes Congress to vote on an Iran deal within 30 days of Mr. Obama submitting it for review. . . . As late as Tuesday morning, Secretary of State John Kerry was still railing in private against the bill. But the White House finally conceded when passage with a veto-proof majority seemed inevitable.”

Even The New York Times acknowledges, “The White House relented on Tuesday and said President Obama would sign a compromise bill giving Congress a voice on the proposed nuclear accord with Iran as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in rare unanimous agreement, moved the legislation to the full Senate for a vote.

“An unusual alliance of Republican opponents of the nuclear deal and some of Mr. Obama’s strongest Democratic supporters demanded a congressional role as international negotiators work to turn this month’s nuclear framework into a final deal by June 30. White House officials insisted they extracted crucial last-minute concessions. Republicans — and many Democrats — said the president simply got overrun. ‘We’re involved here. We have to be involved here,’ said Senator Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, the committee’s ranking Democrat, who served as a bridge between the White House and Republicans as they negotiated changes in the days before the committee’s vote on Tuesday. ‘Only Congress can change or permanently modify the sanctions regime.’”

According to the AP, “In Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani insisted that his country will not sign any final deal with the six powers unless all economic sanctions are lifted, including those imposed by Congress. ‘If there is no end to sanctions, there will be no deal,’ Rouhani said.”

As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The interim agreement we saw from the Administration would not only allow Iran to continue to enrich uranium and retain thousands of centrifuges, but also allow it to continue researching and developing even more advanced centrifuges. In other words, it seems more like an agreement built around Iran’s terms, rather than a plan to advance what should be our national goal: ending its nuclear program. . . . This is a gravely important matter. And the American people aren't just spectators

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