US House Democrats move to block Trump administration’s Saudi nuclear agreement

Several House Democrats on Thursday announced a Joint Resolution of Disapproval aimed at blocking the Trump administration’s proposed civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia.

Representative Gregory W. Meeks, ranking member of the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, and fellow House Democrats Brad Sherman, John Garamendi, and Don Beyer said in a statement that the agreement does not include key nonproliferation safeguards, particularly restrictions on uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel reprocessing and adoption of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol.

“This U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement dangerously departs from decades of nonproliferation standards and presents considerable risks," they wrote.

Last month, US President Donald Trump submitted the nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review. Under the congressional review process, lawmakers have 90 session days to consider the agreement.

Under the 30-year nuclear deal, US companies would play a central role in developing Saudi Arabia's nuclear infrastructure, with the arrangement designed to exclude foreign competitors from much of the work.

The agreement has drawn controversy because it could potentially allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium on its own territory, raising concerns among lawmakers and nonproliferation advocates about the spread of nuclear capabilities in the region.

Meeks, Sherman, Garamendi, and Beyer said their resolution is intended to prevent the agreement from taking effect, arguing that stronger nonproliferation protections should be required before the US authorizes nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

The lawmakers said the deal "is not just reckless nonproliferation policy; it’s an invitation to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.”

“That is why we are introducing a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block this deeply flawed agreement and stop the Trump administration from further dangerous global nuclear proliferation.”