The daunting math for opponents of the Iran nuclear deal

Sometime in the next three weeks, Republicans in Congress will attempt to pass a resolution disapproving of the Iran nuclear deal the Obama White House negotiated with five other world powers and Tehran. If they succeed, they will then have to override Obama's veto, which requires two-thirds of both the House and Senate. The odds aren't in their favor, as The New York Times notes. Here are some of the pertinent numbers:

5 — Percent of 2,566 presidential vetoes Congress has managed to override

110 — Times Congress has overridden a presidential veto, starting in 1845

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

15 — Unsuccessful vetoes issued by President Andrew Johnson

12 — Vetoes overridden for Presidents Harry Truman and Gerald Ford

60 — Senate votes needed to send the anti–Iran deal bill to Obama's desk

56 — Senators currently expected to vote for that bill, including 2 Democrats

67 — Senate votes needed to override Obama's promised veto

34 — Senate votes needed to sustain Obama's veto

29 — Senators who support Iran deal, pledge to oppose bill to sink it

290 — House votes needed to override Obama's promised veto

1973 — Last time Congress overrode a significant veto on foreign policy

Opponents of the Iran deal have some helpful numbers on their own side: Tens of millions of dollars being spent by allied lobbying groups to persuade on-the-fence Democrats to vote against the nuclear deal. The problem, as The New York Times' Carl Hulse concludes, is that "overcoming a presidential veto remains one of the toughest challenges in Washington."