Senate okays Nuke Bill by whopping 85-12 margin
Both Republicans and Democrats voted against a proposed amendment which could have killed the deal.
By Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN |
WASHINGTON: The United States Senate on Thursday voted by an overwhelming 85-12 margin its approval of the US-India nuclear deal.
Earlier both Republican and Democratic senators came together to decisively vote against an amendment brought to the floor by New Mexico Democrat Jeff Bingaman which would have required the President to determine that India committed to a cap on its fissile material production before Washington could proceed with nuclear exports to India.
The administration had said such an amendment would be a deal-killer because India would not agree to the condition considering the geopolitical realities and the neighbourhood it lived in. A majority of Senators agreed with this assessment.
While most Republicans voted against the Bingaman deal-killer amendment and kept the deal alive, several prominent Democrats joined them in support – among them Senators John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Paul Sarbanes and Joe Lieberman.
The non-proliferation constituency that supported the amendment that could have killed the deal included Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy, California’s two Democrat Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and Illinois Democrat Barack Obama.
The Senate also defeated by a 71-27 margin a similar killer amendment moved by North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan, after which the Senator did not push for a roll call vote on his second amendment. Following the three votes, the Senate repaired to a closed private session to consider a fourth amendment.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
