Sen. Marco Rubio says Iran deal opponents should be prepared to “fall on the sword” to thwart the proposed nuclear agreement, and the Florida Republican is faulting leadership in his own party for not responding in ways that could do so.  

“Quite frankly, you have the Republican leadership in some cases saying let’s treat this like any other bill. This is not just any other bill,” the Florida Republican and 2016 presidential candidate said Friday, one day after a debate-limiting cloture vote on a disapproval measure failed to achieve the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate.  

“If there was ever an issue in which we would stop everything to focus on something like a laser, it would be this. And instead, I get the sense that it’s like ‘Let’s have a couple votes and then let’s just move on to the next issue, this thing is done with,'” Rubio said on Fox News. “This is too important for that.”  

“There is nothing wrong with saying, ‘You know what? This issue is different.’ This is not a fight over funding a railroad track somewhere, or opening up a post office. This is an issue about radical lunatics possessing a nuclear weapon. And we’re going to do everything we can in order to stop it. We’re going to be creative about it. We’re going to continue to bring this issue up,” Rubio said. “We’re going to do everything we can to derail it.”  

“If you’re ever going to fall on the sword over an issue, something that threatens the security of the United States and the future of the world, I think that merits that attention, Rubio said.  

White House Doubles Down on Sept. 17 Iran Deadline

Rubio’s campaign did not immediately reply when asked if the senator was calling for such a stand in the upcoming government funding debate.  

Unlike Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rubio is not simultaneously seeking to run for re-election to the Senate despite the fact his term is up in 2016. He attributed the decision to go full steam ahead on the presidential campaign alone to what he has seen from longtime lawmakers in Washington.  

“I don’t think than there’s ever been a time in my lifetime where the political establishment in both parties have been more out of touch with the lives of everyday people than today,” said Rubio. “There’s a massive disconnect between Washington and the rest of the country. It’s only grown wider, and this deal is a perfect example of it.”