Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (New York-21) led 37 Congressional Republican colleagues today in sending a letter to President Joe Biden criticizing his administration’s weak policies that have emboldened Iran to advance its nuclear program to the brink of nuclear breakout. The Biden-Harris administration’s policies of appeasement have contributed to an urgent nuclear threat and further destabilization throughout the Middle East and beyond.
Additional signatories include Senators Ted Budd (R- North Carolina), Kevin Cramer (R- North Dakota), Katie Britt (R- Alabama), Rick Scott (R- Florida), Deb Fischer (R- Nebraska), Roger Marshall (R- Kansas), Pete Ricketts (R- Nebraska), Marco Rubio (R- Florida), Ted Cruz (R- Texas), Cynthia Lummis (R- Wyoming), Joni Ernst (R- Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R- Tennessee), John Cornyn (R- Texas), John Barrasso (R- Wyoming), Lindsey Graham (R- South Carolina), Mike Braun (R- Indiana), John Thune (R- South Dakota), Congressman Chris Smith (New Jersey-04), Congressman John H. Rutherford (Florida-05), Congressman Dan Crenshaw (Texas-02), Congressman Jim Banks (Indiana-03), Congressman Greg Murphy, (North Carolina-03), Congressman Ben Cline (Virginia-06), Congressman Brandon Williams (New York-22), Congressman Rudy Yakym III (Indiana-02), Congressman Scott Franklin (Florida-15), Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (Iowa-01), Congressman Nick Langworthy (New York-23), Congressman Mark Alford (Missouri-04), Congressman Pat Fallon (Texas-04), Congressman Lance Gooden (Texas-05), Congressman Brad Finstad (Minnesota-01), Congressman Juan Ciscomani (Arizona-06), Congresswoman Ann Wagner (Missouri-02), Congressman Randy Feenstra (Iowa-04), Congressman Ralph Norman (South Carolina-05), and Congressman Michael Guest (Mississippi-03).
In part, the lawmakers wrote:
“Your administration allowed Iranian-backed militias to attack our troops more than 180 times while responding only about 11 times, diminishing any fear of American strength. You further empowered Iranian proxies by removing the Houthis from the list of designated terrorist organizations and restoring funding to the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas accomplices in UNRWA. These proxies then attacked and besieged Israel—and you proceeded to impose a weekslong, partial arms embargo on Israel, weakening the chief adversary of Iran capable of destroying its nuclear program.”
Full text of the letter can be found here and below.
September 26, 2024
President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden,
We write regarding your failure to prevent Iran from rushing towards nuclear breakout. In July, Secretary Blinken confirmed that Iran is “probably one or two weeks away” from having enough nuclear material for a bomb. This geopolitical disaster and national-security crisis results directly from your administration’s policy of appeasement.
From the beginning, you’ve pursued a weak, nai?ve, and supine strategy of accommodating the world’s worst state sponsor of terror. Your administration ignored sanctions that allowed Iran to make over $100 billion in oil sales, rescinded the Trump administration’s snapback sanctions at the United Nations, and advocated against censuring the ayatollahs at the IAEA. You appointed Robert Malley as envoy to Iran and employed his cohort of Iran sympathizers, such as Ariane Tabatabai at the Defense Department.
Your administration allowed Iranian-backed militias to attack our troops more than 180 times while responding only about 11 times, diminishing any fear of American strength. You further empowered Iranian proxies by removing the Houthis from the list of designated terrorist organizations and restoring funding to the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas accomplices in UNRWA. These proxies then attacked and besieged Israel—and you proceeded to impose a weekslong, partial arms embargo on Israel, weakening the chief adversary of Iran capable of destroying its nuclear program.
Each act of appeasement strengthened and emboldened Iran, which has raced to the edge of nuclear breakout. When President Trump left office, it would have taken Iran more than three months to enrich enough uranium for a single nuclear weapon. Under your watch, Iran may have slashed its breakout time by more than 90 percent and increased its stockpile of enriched uranium enough to build a nuclear arsenal of more than a dozen weapons in that time.
Iran has waged a reign of terror against America and our allies for decades. But if Iran acquires a nuclear weapon, one can only imagine how emboldened the ayatollahs would feel to spread even more death and terror around the world, especially in the Middle East. If that happens, history will judge you and your administration very harshly—as it should.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
