Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken a "bold risk" to salvage the pact and now it is the turn of the Congress, the Washington Post said in an editorial.
"Yesterday the gamble paid off, as Mr Singh's government survived.... Now, the question is whether the pact can survive the American political process," the paper said.
It said there is not much time for under the law Congress must be in session for 30 continuous days to consider the deal and before the clock begins to tick there would have to be approvals from the IAEA and the Nuclear Supplier's Group.
"... And because of the long August recess, there may not be more than 30 'legislative days' left before Congress adjourns on September 26," the Post said in the editorial titled "India's Outstretched Hand: New Delhi does its part to salvage a nuclear pact, now it's Congress's turn".
More From This Section
"The deal raises many legitimate questions. But, on balance, it is in the United States' interest, and Congress should find the time to say yes -- in a lame-duck session after the November election, if necessary," it said.
The daily said if Congress rejects the deal, the likeliest outcome is that India, freshly approved as a customer for technology and fuel, will "simply buy its planned 25,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity from France or Russia."