US senators seek more information on Trump's Saudi nuclear proposal
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The U.S. House of Representatives chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. File photo. |
WASHINGTON — September 16, 2026
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has asked the Trump administration to release more information about a proposed civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, including two classified side letters that accompany the deal. The senators said the documents are needed for Congress and the public to understand the commitments being made by both countries.
The request was made in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. It was led by Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Ed Markey of Massachusetts and signed by 16 other senators, including Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and John Kennedy of Louisiana, as well as independent Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats.
The senators said previous U.S. agreements for peaceful nuclear cooperation with other countries have generally provided lawmakers with access to the relevant information. They argued that keeping the two side letters classified prevents Congress from fully examining the agreement before deciding whether to allow it to take effect.
The Trump administration submitted the proposed agreement to Congress in August under the review process required by U.S. law. Congress has a 90-day period to examine the agreement and can seek to block it through a resolution of disapproval.
The United States and Saudi Arabia signed the civil nuclear cooperation agreement in July. The 30-year arrangement is intended to support Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear program and provide opportunities for U.S. companies to supply nuclear technology and equipment. The Energy Department has described the agreement as a long-term, multibillion-dollar partnership focused on peaceful nuclear energy and nonproliferation.
The agreement has nevertheless raised questions in Congress over the nuclear activities Saudi Arabia would be allowed to pursue. Some lawmakers and nonproliferation specialists have focused on whether the arrangement prevents Riyadh from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, technologies that can have both civilian and military applications.
The United Arab Emirates accepted restrictions on enrichment and reprocessing in its 2009 nuclear cooperation agreement with Washington. Those restrictions have often been described as a strong nonproliferation standard, but the proposed Saudi agreement has generated debate over whether similar limits apply.
The proposed agreement also includes plans for U.S.-designed AP1000 nuclear reactors. The project could generate contracts worth tens of billions of dollars and benefit Westinghouse and its Canadian-based owners, Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management.
Another issue surrounding the agreement is Saudi Arabia's possible normalization of relations with Israel. Trump has said the nuclear arrangement would not take effect unless Riyadh agrees to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, but the normalization condition is not included in the nuclear agreement itself, according to reporting on the submitted documents. The senators' letter did not address that issue.
The State Department and Energy Department had not immediately responded to the senators' request when the letter became public. The administration must now face congressional scrutiny as lawmakers review the agreement and its accompanying documents during the statutory review period.
