Press Releases

Washington, DC -- U.S. Representative Ted Budd (R-NC) released the following statement after President Trump’s announcement that the United States will be pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):

“I am supportive of President Trump’s decision today.  To stay in this deal would not only be turning a blind eye to misbehavior, but it would be dismissing it in such a way that could lead to grave consequences. I agree with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he said that pulling out of the Iran deal is “the right thing for the United States, the right thing for Israel, and the right thing for the peace of the world.”

To understand why President Trump has decided to pull out of the Iran deal, it’s important to remember how we got to this point in the first place. In 2015, former President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry withstood bipartisan opposition from Congress and struck a deal with the Iranian regime to halt their long-range nuclear missile program.

“Halt” is the key word here. In exchange for giving Iran billions of dollars via sanctions relief, the Iranian regime agreed to halt their efforts to build a nuclear weapon. Many members of Congress were skeptical of this deal back in 2015, and rightly so. Just last week, the world was provided clear evidence that Iran - with the deal intact - has continued on the path towards a nuclear weapon.

Going forward, we should learn our lesson - going into negotiations, desperate for a deal with a rogue regime should never be the goal. Today’s action by the president shows strength and signals to the world that we are serious about denuclearization and will only reward actions - not just promises.”