House Democrats Move to Block Trump's Saudi Nuclear Agreement

House Democrats have introduced a resolution of disapproval aimed at stopping President Donald Trump's civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia from taking effect, citing concerns over the pact's nonproliferation safeguards.

The proposed agreement was sent to Congress in August, triggering a 90-day review period during which lawmakers can attempt to pass a resolution of disapproval. Four Democrats — Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, along with Brad Sherman and John Garamendi of California and Don Beyer of Virginia — announced the move.

The lawmakers criticized the deal for not prohibiting Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste, activities that could provide pathways to a nuclear weapon. They noted that the United Arab Emirates accepted such restrictions, known as the gold standard, in its 2009 civil nuclear agreement with Washington.

"A region already gripped by conflict and escalation does not need another nuclear power," the four Democrats said in a joint statement.

The Trump administration maintains that the agreement includes nonproliferation measures required by law.

Whether Saudi Arabia ultimately secures the deal remains tied to whether it normalizes relations with Israel. Trump has said the pact will only take effect if Riyadh does so, but congressional aides said the agreement itself contains no language addressing that condition.

Lawmakers have also pressed for the full agreement, including classified side letters reached with Saudi Arabia, to be made public.

The 30-year deal calls for the construction of AP1000 reactors, a project valued in the tens of billions of dollars that would benefit Westinghouse, which is jointly owned by Canada-based Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.

It is unclear when the House might vote on the resolution. Speaker Mike Johnson sent members home on Wednesday until after the November 3 midterm elections.

While Congress has passed dozens of disapproval resolutions over the years, no resolution concerning nuclear power or civil nuclear cooperation has ever successfully passed. Under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, peaceful nuclear cooperation agreements automatically enter into force after 90 days unless Congress passes a disapproval resolution to block them.