House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy denounces proposed Iranian nuclear deal a "sham"

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, addresses the proposed nuclear deal with Iran.

 "In my conversations with people in our community as well as with my colleagues in Congress, there remains continued focus and concern on the ongoing review of the Iran agreement. Yesterday, the

Associated Press released the text of a secret draft agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding inspections at the Parchin military site.

 "Congress should not be finding out about the details of a secret side agreement with Iran through media reports. The House has already demanded that the Administration give Congress the text of these agreements, as is required by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act that the President signed into law. On its face, this agreement seems to give Iran much too much authority in determining how and when inspections happen at the Parchin military site. Though President Obama claimed that this agreement is not based on trust but on verification, this side deal makes it look like the exact opposite. We cannot and should not trust Iran with any authority to police itself, whether at Parchin or elsewhere.
These secret side deals reveal that Iran nuclear verification is a sham.

 "However, in another development that we should focus on is this Administration’s proposal for additional regulations on oil and gas production.

 "Earlier this month, President Obama unveiled his plan to cut carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. In his speech announcing this regulation, he referred to the threats of job losses and higher energy bills as the 'same stale arguments.'

 "However, this week’s announced proposal of more regulations on America’s energy production could indeed have similar effects. But so as not to bore, here is a fresh reason the President’s plan is unnecessary: What the president wants to achieve with more government intervention is, well, already happening thanks to free-market forces.

 "The President’s own Environmental Protection Agency has reported that methane emissions from natural gas production have decreased by 38 percent since 2005. That’s right. In the heart of a natural gas boom in our country, methane emissions have actually gone down.

 "But this isn’t the first time that intended goals of a White House regulation are already being achieved.

Two days after the White House announced its ‘Clean Power Plan,’ the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that carbon dioxide emissions reached a 27-year low in April 2015.

So thank goodness for innovation and ingenuity. Without it our environment would be less healthy and the great American energy renaissance non-existent. We should pocket these important achievements and continue to build on a safer and more energy secure country. We should not swamp energy producers with new bureaucratic and unnecessary rules to achieve a goal that is already being accomplished without government intervention.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy travels to Israel and returns warning the proposed nuclear deal with Iran is a dangerous idea

 House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield gives us his weekly report from Capitol Hill:

 "As I have written before, one of the pressing issues facing our nation and the world before Congress is our concerns with the agreement with Iran that is being put forth by the Obama Administration.

 "Despite the continual concessions the Obama Administration made to Iran during nuclear negotiations, one concession in particular poses large risks for regional stability and the safety of our allies in the medium-term: the eventual lifting of the arms and missiles embargoes against Iran.

 "Under the agreement the embargo against arms would be lifted in five years and against ballistic missiles—the kind that can carry a nuclear warhead—in eight years. But it looks like even these small delays are only a parchment barrier without the threat of real enforcement. Even Secretary Kerry revealed, “The arms embargo is not tied to snapback. It is tied to a separate set of obligations. So they are not in material breach of the nuclear agreement for violating the arms piece of it."

 "I have always said that if Iran ever obtained a nuclear weapon, the world would never be the same. That is why I traveled to Israel this week to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders along with traveling to the Golan Heights and other parts of the Middle East to see first-hand what is happening in the Middle East.

 "We were able to meet with United Nations observers and other military advisors to get the latest updates on our battle with ISIS and the civil war in Syria. While I have traveled to the Middle East in the past, we continue to see a reoccurring theme of what happens if American leadership is perceived as weak.

 "Earlier this week, we toured an Iron Dome battery, a key pillar of Israel’s military defenses. During the summer of 2014 as Hamas indiscriminately launched rockets at civilian population centers, the Iron Dome protected innocent lives by intercepting roughly 90 percent of Hamas’s rockets. As we visited the towns of Ashkelon and Sderot near Gaza, we saw firsthand that without the Iron Dome, many more people would have lost their lives. Congress stands united with Israel, not only in support of its Iron Dome defenses, but also in preserving Israel’s security and ensuring the safety of its people. In these dangerous times, Israel can always be certain that the American people are by their side.

McCarthy: It is both "ridiculous and insulting" that President Obama wants to strike a nuclear deal with Iran without consulting Congresss

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

"The fundamental responsibility of our government is the defense of our nation. Today, the House of

Representatives passed the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, which gives our Armed Forces the tools they need to defeat any threat to our nation, whether it be a terrorist cell or rogue state. Much of the hard work that will go into translating this legislation into action will take place right here in our community, at world-class laboratories and testing facilities like those at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the Air Force Test Center on Edwards Air Force Base.

"The men and women in our military must have the latest technology and best equipment to achieve their mission. No matter how sophisticated our weapons become, however, it will always be the people behind the machines who are our greatest investment. This bill prohibits the Department of Defense from furloughing Working Capital Fund employees – like those who design and test weapon systems at China Lake. This bill authorizes Defense laboratories and test centers at Edwards and China Lake to hire more personnel directly, reducing bureaucracy by cutting out the Federal employment system, which is so slow and inefficient that it drives away many bright students who would otherwise serve their country. And just as this legislation strengthens those supporting the warfighter, it ensures that China Lake will have the land necessary for the Navy to continue to push the limits of revolutionary prototype technologies.

 "Keeping our nation secure and supporting the men and women who serve our country is one of Congress’ most fundamental duties. The House has acted. I hope the Senate quickly takes up the bill, so that our military community can receive the certainty they need and deserve.

 "Also this week, the House passed H.R 1191, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act.

 "The United States began negotiations with Iran to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, but the framework for a deal that President Obama presented us would not accomplish that objective. The American people and their representatives are rightly concerned about the direction of the negotiations, the threat of a nuclear Iran, and the President’s desire to unilaterally strike a deal.

 "It is both ridiculous and insulting that the President wants to bind our country to an agreement without even consulting the people’s elected representatives, especially since so many are concerned about the terms of a proposed deal. That’s why the House has acted this week, passing a bill that will give Congress the authority to review the Iran nuclear deal. It will stop the President from unilaterally lifting Congressional sanctions against Iran while we review the deal. It will require regular updates from the Administration on Iran’s compliance. And it will give the people’s representatives a say—a check and balance—as the Constitution requires.

 "This legislation is a minimum. The President should take it as a message from Congress that, as the negotiations go forward, the Administration must insist on major improvements to what is currently a dangerous initial understanding with Iran.