Speaker John A. Boehner, in an interview that aired Sunday, said the House will act quickly to tighten sanctions on Iran should the administration’s nuclear talks with the Islamic republic fail.  

The Ohio Republican told CNN he’s skeptical the Obama administration will reach a deal with Iran to rein in the country’s nuclear program. “Frankly, we should have kept the sanctions in place so that we could have gotten to a real agreement,” he said.  

Boehner, who is traveling to Israel this week with a group of Republican lawmakers, brushed aside concerns that his trip amounts to a “victory lap” to celebrate the re-election of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke to a joint meeting of Congress March 3 at the speaker’s invitation.  

“My visit there was planned months ago, before the prime minister came here and before his re-election, so it’s not quite what I would describe as a ‘victory lap,'” he said.  

Boehner also chatted about the Medicare “doc fix” passed last week in the House with help from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats: “The door opened and I walked in.”  

He dismissed the idea that his leadership of the Republican Conference this session was ever seriously challenged by would-be successors .  

“My goal every day is to try to keep 218 frogs in a wheel-barrow long enough to get something passed,” he said. “I don’t know where that story started, it was laughable. Laughable”  

Boehner added that he plans on serving as speaker “until I’ve had enough.”  

Related:

The Speaker Strikes Back: Boehner Cancels Gohmert’s Travel (Video)


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Boehner, House Delegation to Meet Netanyahu in Israel (Updated)


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