Democrats Push Bill to Block Controversial Saudi Nuclear Deal

Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation to disapprove of a nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia, seeking to block the deal during its three-month congressional review period. The bill was introduced by Reps. Gregory Meeks, Brad Sherman, John Garamendi, and Don Beyer.

A vote on the Joint Resolution of Disapproval could occur in November, following the midterm elections. If the resolution does not pass with a two-thirds majority in Congress, President Donald Trump could veto the bill, allowing the nuclear deal to proceed as written.

The agreement, known as a 123 agreement, is intended to facilitate American industry collaboration on nuclear energy projects in Saudi Arabia, which the administration states will deepen ties between the two nations. However, the deal has raised concerns among security experts and members of Congress regarding the potential proliferation of technologies that could support a Saudi nuclear weapons program.

Critics argue that the agreement deviates from the typical "gold standard" for nuclear deals, which usually grants international inspectors broad access to facilities that could support nuclear development, including undeclared sites involved in research. The U.S.-Saudi deal, by contrast, includes a more limited inspection agreement administered by the International Atomic Energy Agency, confined to declared nuclear sites.

The publicly released text of the agreement outlines a joint study between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia on the feasibility of establishing a uranium enrichment facility within the kingdom. Such a study could potentially open the door to uranium enrichment up to 20%.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, noted that the terms for this study were vaguely described in the agreement. She stated that enriching uranium to 20% represents a significant proliferation risk, as it constitutes the majority of the work required to reach weapons-grade levels of 90%. Davenport drew a parallel to concerns previously raised by the U.S. regarding Iran's enrichment activities to the 20% level.

Concerns about Saudi Arabia potentially seeking nuclear weapons were heightened by public statements from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto leader. In August, the Trump administration acknowledged these "concerning public statements" in its communication to Congress.

In an effort to counter potential agreements with U.S. adversaries like China or Russia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the deal in July, arguing that if the U.S. did not participate, Saudi Arabia might turn to other nations. He suggested that the U.S. must adapt to a new global landscape where competitors are vying for influence.

A group of lawmakers, including Republican Sens. John Kennedy and Rand Paul, sent a letter to Secretary Rubio and Energy Secretary Chris Wright requesting the declassification of two "side letters" associated with the deal. The lawmakers stated they were unaware of any precedent for classifying and withholding such documents, especially when the stated purpose is peaceful nuclear cooperation.

While a bill to strike down the Saudi deal is considered unlikely to pass given the Republican-controlled Congress, lawmakers retain the option to introduce legislation that would impose specific conditions on the nuclear agreement. Congress has a 90-day period to review the agreement.