Md. Sen. Mikulski Announces Support For Iran Deal

WASHINGTON  (WJZ) – Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski says she'll vote yes for the Iran nuclear agreement. That gives President Barack Obama the votes he needs to make sure the plan goes forward.

Pat Warren has more on the significance of Mikulski's decision.

Mikulski's vote is #34. The president needed 34 Democrats in the Senate to say yes to the deal to prevent Republicans from killing it.

Wednesday, Senator Barbara Mikulski announced that she will, in fact, vote in favor of the deal, giving President Obama the 34 Senate votes he needed to prevent an override. In her statement Wednesday, the retiring senior senator from Maryland said her approach was to weigh the interests of the US and Israel, take an extensive review of the agreement itself and to ask tough questions.

Having done that, she said she found the agreement to be the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb. She added, "I will vote in favor of this bill."

"I will shortly make a decision," said Senator Ben Cardin.

Senator Cardin is one of 10 Democratic senators who have yet to announce their position on the agreement. He told a forum at Johns Hopkins University Tuesday it wasn't an easy decision.

"I think it's a tough call. When people say, `This is such an easy decision; why haven't you made it?' I don't think it is an easy judgment call. I think there are high risks either way, going forward or not going forward," Cardin said.

Senator Mikulski also says she listened to her constituents, including leaders in the Jewish community.

"Congress must also re-affirm our commitment to the safety and security of Israel," she said.

Meanwhile, the TV ads for and against the deal continue to encourage voters to make their opinions known to lawmakers.

In response to Mikulski's announcement, Secretary of State John Kerry says the administration will continue to push past the 34 votes. They want to go further and push to the last moment.

Congress goes back to work September 8 and has until September 17 to vote on a resolution supporting or rejecting the amendment.