No Nuclear Weapons for Saudi Arabia Act of 2026

Plain-English Summary

This bill would change how the United States government approves nuclear cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia. Specifically, it would require Congress to pass a joint resolution — meaning both the House of Representatives and the Senate would need to vote in favor — before any civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia could take effect. Under current law, the president has significant authority to negotiate and finalize these types of agreements, known as "123 agreements" (named after a section of the Atomic Energy Act), with limited congressional involvement.

The bill essentially shifts decision-making power from the executive branch (the president and administration) to the legislative branch (Congress) for this specific situation. Right now, a nuclear cooperation agreement can go into effect unless Congress votes to block it. This bill would flip that process — meaning the agreement could not go into effect unless Congress actively votes to approve it.

This legislation would primarily affect U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations in the area of civilian nuclear energy, as well as the balance of power between Congress and the White House on foreign policy decisions. Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in developing civilian nuclear power, and negotiations over a potential agreement have raised concerns among some lawmakers about nuclear nonproliferation — particularly whether Saudi Arabia might use civilian nuclear technology to eventually develop nuclear weapons. The bill reflects Congress's desire to have a direct say in any such deal before it becomes official.