Press Releases

Today, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, made the following remarks on the hearing titled "The Obama Administration’s Deal with Iran: Implications for Missile Defense and Nonproliferation:"

"This afternoon, we are here to discuss, 'the Obama Administration’s Deal with Iran: Implications for Missile Defense and Nonproliferation.'
We have testifying today a distinguished panel of witnesses. They are:

The Honorable Frank Klotz
Administrator
National Nuclear Security Administration

The Honorable Robert M. Scher
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities
U.S. Department of Defense

Mr. Christopher J. Almont
Senior Defense Intelligence Expert
Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East/Africa Regional Center (MARC)
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

Vice Admiral James Syring, USN
Director
Missile Defense Agency

Major General Steven M. Shepro, USAF
Vice Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, J5
Joint Staff

I want to note that the subcommittee invited a witness from the State Department to testify here today. We were told, in writing, that he was available – he may be watching us even now from his office since his schedule was open. However, he is not here today. I understand that senior officials at the State Department decided not to send him because the Department 'isn’t ready to discuss implementation.' Well, I think every member of this subcommittee should be angered by the disrespect with which the Membership – and our witnesses – have been treated by the Department of State. Moreover, the entire Congress, as it prepares to vote on the Iran agreement, should be bothered that we are being asked to vote on this agreement, and the Department of State won’t discuss how it will be implemented.

With that unpleasantness, I will move on to the point of the hearing.

In February of 2014, Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, a lead negotiator of the Iran agreement – whose record reflects she also gave us the Agreed Framework with North Korea that gave the Kim family its nuclear weapons arsenal – stated in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that, 'It is true that in these first six months we’ve not shut down all of their production of any ballistic missile that could have anything to do with delivery of a nuclear weapon. But that is indeed something that has to be addressed as part of a comprehensive agreement.'

Let me repeat that, 'But that is indeed something that has to be addressed as part of a comprehensive agreement.' We all know what was conceded to Iran, Russia, and China instead.

In July, the President’s senior military advisor, General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified that, 'under no circumstances should we relieve pressure on Iran relative to ballistic missile capabilities and arms trafficking.'

Let me repeat that, 'under no circumstances.'

Why is this important? As stated by our senior DOD leadership, 'the ban, on technology for ballistic missiles, was critical to America’s own security, especially since Iran’s ballistic missiles would be dangerous weapons if they were ever equipped with chemical, biological or even nuclear warheads.'

Even if we assume the Iranians will honor the nuclear agreement, which we would be foolish to assume, we are paying no attention here to their chemical and biological weapons programs.

Just this weekend, according to press reports, 45 Emirati soldiers fighting Iranian proxies in Yemen were killed by a ballistic missile with a conventional warhead.

We don’t have missile defense solely because the bad guys may have nuclear capability.

I will read an excerpt from the most recent arms control compliance report on Iran:

Based on available information, the United States cannot certify whether Iran has met its chemical weapons production facility (CWPF) declaration obligations, destroyed its specialized chemical weapons (CW) equipment, transferred CW, or retained an undeclared CW stockpile.

The JCPOA ignores this violation and provides Iran more funding for chemical and biological weapons – Iran is also not in compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention – and the ballistic missiles it needs to deliver them.

I also want to indicate my strong agreement with the letter sent by Chairman Thornberry and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes last week, which I will add to the record, that this agreement appears to have already started the cascade of proliferation in the Middle East. Unfortunately, I can’t say much more in this environment, but, I believe Secretary Kerry owes this body information before we vote. Chairman Thornberry and Chairman Nunes asked for a response by this past Tuesday; that response has not been provided.

I have stated before that I believe the Administration concealed material information concerning Russia’s violation of the INF treaty from the United States Congress while the Senate was considering the New START treaty in 2010.

I have come to the same conclusion about the JCPOA.

I will cast my vote against the JCPOA, but I do not believe the President will heed any call from this Congress about this legacy deal for him. We have a constitutional law professor as President who seems to be unfamiliar with the Constitution’s checks and balances.

So, we must all turn to cleaning up the mess that is being created and what will be required to fix it.

I only hope the generations to come will not pay too high a price for the mistake the President is making now."