Rep. Scott Garrett told a Tea Party audience in Wyckoff on Tuesday that he opposes the proposed nuclear arms agreement with Iran but said stopping the deal will be difficult under the rules that the Senate has adopted.

Garrett, R-Wantage, said he considers the agreement reached by the Obama administration to be a treaty that ought to require two-thirds approval by the Senate.

But he said a majority of his colleagues still consider it an executive action by the president.

Under the rules adopted, it would require a two-thirds majority of both the Senate and the House to disapprove the deal after a 60-day review period.

"The burden of proof has shifted from them to us," Garrett said of the rules.

As an executive action, the agreement could be undone by the next president, Garrett said.

"But the problem with that is that the next president will not be here for another 16 or 17 months," Garrett told a crowd of about 70 people gathered at a forum hosted by the West Bergen Tea Party.

While talk of the Iran deal dominated most of the evening, the mostly receptive audience also peppered Garrett with other questions on topics ranging from the GOP leadership in the House to trade agreements and housing discrimination legislation.

None of the questions dealt with presidential politics or the race for the Republican nomination.

Instead, the group presented Garrett with a petition opposed to the Iran deal.

"We wanted to let you know we feel strongly about it," said Susan Winton, one of the organizers of the group.

Garrett said he recently proposed legislation that would � if the Iran agreement is not struck down � deny money to implement the deal.

But he noted that any such bill could be vetoed by President Obama, thus requiring a two-thirds majority to override such a veto.

"Elections have consequences," Garrett said. "Twice this country has voted to support this president. We are paying the consequences of those elections right now."

By North Jersey