House Dems introduce resolution to disapprove Saudi nuclear deal

The terms of the deal include neither commitments from Saudi Arabia that it forgo uranium enrichment and reprocessing nor the “additional protocol” for International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.

By Andrew Bernard, JNS

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and three of his Democratic colleagues announced a resolution of disapproval for the Trump administration’s nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Meeks and Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.) stated that the U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement “dangerously departs from decades of nonproliferation standards and presents considerable risks.”

“A region already gripped by conflict and escalation does not need another nuclear power,” the Democrats said.

“Handing Saudi Arabia enrichment capacity under these conditions—even with the stipulations included in the agreement the administration has shared with Congress—isn’t just reckless nonproliferation policy; it’s an invitation to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.”

The Trump administration signed a nuclear cooperation agreement, known as a 123 agreement, with Saudi Arabia in July and submitted it for congressional approval in August.

The terms of the deal include neither commitments from Saudi Arabia that it forgo uranium enrichment and reprocessing nor the “additional protocol” for International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.

Those elements have been standard features of previous 123 agreements between the United States and other countries seeking to build nuclear energy plants, including the nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia’s neighbor, the United Arab Emirates.

Those safeguards are “critical” to preventing a country from developing a nuclear weapon, the Democrats wrote.

The congressmen said they intend to file a joint resolution of disapproval to block the deal, which could come up for a vote following the midterm elections after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent the House into an early recess on Wednesday.

Trump could veto a disapproval resolution even if it passes the House and Senate.

The announcement from Meeks and the other House Democrats comes one day after a bipartisan group of senators called for the Trump administration to declassify the side letters accompanying the deal.

“In previous 123 agreements, the executive branch publicly released the agreement along with side letters and related documents,” the senators wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright on Wednesday.

“Releasing the agreement text without the side letters here leaves that practice only half met. We are aware of no precedent for classifying and withholding the side letters, particularly when the stated purpose is peaceful nuclear cooperation.”

Two Republicans, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), joined 16 Democrats in signing the letter, which was led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).