Democrats in the US House of Representatives expressed concern on Thursday regarding a civil nuclear cooperation agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia, announcing a resolution of disapproval intended to block the deal from taking effect.
Donald Trump submitted the draft agreement to Congress in August, triggering a 90-day review period for lawmakers. During this window, Congress can pass a resolution of disapproval to prevent the agreement from becoming law.
Criticism of the nuclear deal terms
Democrats and nuclear non-proliferation advocates have criticized the deal for failing to prohibit Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear fuel—two potential pathways to developing nuclear weapons.
By comparison, the United Arab Emirates agreed to such restrictions, known as the “gold standard,” in its 2009 deal with Washington.
Four Democrats—Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, along with Brad Sherman and John Garamendi of California and Don Beyer of Virginia—stated: “A region already rife with conflict and escalation does not need another nuclear-armed state.”
The Donald Trump administration maintains that the agreement includes legally mandated nuclear non-proliferation safeguards.
It remains unclear whether the agreement will take effect for Saudi Arabia without a normalization of relations with Israel. Donald Trump has stated that the pact would only proceed under such conditions, though aides in Congress noted that the text of the agreement does not codify this requirement.
Members of Congress have also called for the disclosure of all terms, including secret side letters concluded with Saudi Arabia.
Reactors and the approval process
The 30-year nuclear agreement provides for the construction of AP1000 reactors. The project is valued at tens of billions of dollars, and companies set to benefit include Westinghouse, which is jointly owned by Canada’s Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.
It is unclear when the House of Representatives will be able to vote on the resolution. On Wednesday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson sent lawmakers on recess until after the November 3 midterm elections.
Over the years, Congress has passed dozens of resolutions of disapproval, though no resolution concerning nuclear energy or civil nuclear cooperation has ever been successfully enacted.
Under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation automatically take effect after 90 days unless Congress passes a resolution to block them.
Source: The Straits Times
