Texas Governor Greg Abbott sends letter to Texas congressional delegation urging opposition to Iran deal

Ahead of Congress’ return from recess next week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter to each member of the Texas Congressional Delegation urging them to vote against President Obama’s deal with Iran and reaffirm the United States’ support for Israel.

Governor Abbott also declared the State of Texas’ intention to continue its efforts in prohibiting public investment in Iran and called on private enterprises to follow suit should a deal pass.

“Entering into an agreement with a country that consistently calls for ‘death to America’ and expecting them to live up to this deal is not only short-sighted, it is turning a blind eye to geopolitical realities,” Governor Abbott writes in the letter. “I call upon the Texas Congressional delegation to reject President Obama’s deal with Iran, reaffirm our nation’s support for Israel, and uphold states’ rights to prohibit investment that would benefit Iran.”

Other excerpts from Governor Abbott’s letter:

In The Event A Deal Passes, Texas Will Continue Its Efforts To Prohibit Public Investment In Iran And Call On Private Enterprises To Do The Same. “Texas will continue its efforts to prohibit investments in Iran. Texas law currently bans taxpayer-funded investment in Iran and with entities that do business with Iran. … It is my hope that Congress will reject the President’s deal, but should it move forward, Texas will do everything it can to prevent public investment in Iran. The retirement funds of Texas state employees and teachers will not be complicit in the financing of terrorism across the globe. If the unfortunate occurs, and this deal passes, I will also be calling on private enterprises across our state to join in refusing to aid a hostile Iranian regime.”

This Deal Threatens Israel - Our Greatest Ally In The Middle East. “In addition to compromising U.S. national security, this deal will threaten our country’s greatest ally in the Middle East: Israel. On May 21, 2015, we celebrated Texas-Israel Day at our State Capitol. Since 1948, Texas has consistently acted to strengthen this historic friendship. … As the largest state-sanctioned sponsor of terrorism, Iran remains a significant threat to Israel. So long as Iran is a threat to Israel, Iran is a threat to Texas.”

Read Abbott's full letter here.