'Is that what's happening': Bartiromo challenges Khanna's claim that Iran deal not good as Obama's

WASHINGTON, DC: Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo pushed back against Democratic Rep Ro Khanna after he claimed that the current Iran deal is not as good as one secured by former President Barack Obama in 2015.

Ro Khanna also argued that President Donald Trump compromised the “America First” agenda and claimed that Trump’s Iran deal will take hundreds of billions of dollars away from Americans who need it most.

Ro Khanna and Maria Bartiromo spar over Trump's Iran deal

Bartiromo began by accusing Khanna and Democrats of wanting to “upend this president’s agenda.”

“Is that what is happening right now with this MOU with Iran?” Bartiromo asked about the Memorandum of Understanding.

“No. I actually support the agreement and bringing the war to an end. I have always supported bringing the war to an end,” Khanna said.

“I will say, though, that this agreement is not as good as what the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) was,” he said of former President Barack Obama’s deal.

“Most problematically, we’re going to be on the hook to raise $300 billion for Iran’s economic development and reconstruction. Not US taxpayer money, but raising that money," he continued.

"Why aren’t we focused on the economic development and the reconstruction of Middleton, Ohio, or Johnstown, Pennsylvania, or putting $300 billion to be raised for childcare or healthcare for Americans?” Khanna added.

Maria Bartiromo defends Trump's 'America First' agenda

Bartiromo acknowledged some of Khanna’s concerns before mounting a defense of Trump’s record, arguing that the president has prioritized domestic manufacturing and reduced US dependence on China.

She pointed to Trump’s repeated claims of attracting trillions of dollars in investment to the United States and said that his trade policies have pressured companies to either absorb tariffs or move production back to the country.

The Fox host further argued that the emerging Iran agreement was preferable to the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which she criticized for granting Tehran access to billions of dollars in sanctions relief.

“This deal seems a lot better than the horrendous Obama deal,” Bartiromo said, arguing that Iran used funds released under the previous agreement to expand its missile capabilities and support regional proxy groups.

She then challenged Khanna, asking whether he disagreed with that assessment.

In response, Khanna pushed back on Bartiromo’s characterization of Trump’s economic record, arguing that the administration has failed to deliver on its promises to revive American manufacturing.

“Maria, first of all, the president has lost 72,000 manufacturing jobs under his watch,” Khanna said.

"I wish you were right because his rhetoric was about rebuilding Ohio and rebuilding Pennsylvania, but he has resisted creating an industrial investment bank that would support American manufacturers," he added.