U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. became the fifth of eight Democratic members of Congress from New Jersey to support the Iran nuclear agreement.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. on Tuesday backed fellow Democrat President Obama and announced he will vote for the agreement curbing Iran's nuclear program for more than a decade in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.
"Rejecting this agreement leaves us with a crumbling sanctions regime, a weakened standing for our nation on the global stage, and most critically with Iran only months from completing the development of a nuclear weapon.," Pascrell (D-9th Dist.) said in a statement. "Moving forward with this agreement is most certainly not the last step, but the first because it commits the international community to ensuring that Iran does not become a nuclear weapons state.
Pascrell was the last of the 14-member New Jersey congressional delegation to take a position on the deal, and joins four other Democrats, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (6th Dist.), Donald Payne Jr. (10th Dist.) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (12th Dist.) in endorsing the agreement.
Former U.S. Reps. Steve Rothman (D-9th Dist.), who Pascrell defeated in the 2012 Democratic primary, and Rush Holt (D-12th Dist.) also came out in favor of the deal.
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Three Democratic lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and Reps. Donald Norcross (1st Dist.) and Albio Sires (8th Dist.) have said they will vote no, as will all six House Republicans from the state.
The House is scheduled to vote on the agreement this week. More than 34 Senate Democrats have announced their support of the deal, meaning that opponents will not have the two-thirds majorities in both houses they need to override President Obama's expected veto of any resolution against the agreement.
Pascrell said that curbing Iran's rhetoric and threats against other nations "was never the goal of the agreement. The fact is that a nuclear Iran would only exacerbate these problems, and this deal drastically reduces that threat."
"I have no illusions about the destructive force that Iran continues to be in the international community," Pascrell said. "Iran makes daily threats against the United States and our ally Israel, and its support of terrorism must continue to be a top priority."
At the same time, he said, the U.S. should "look for ways to bolster" support for Israel in the wake of the Iran deal.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.