(August 28, 2026)

Washington, D.C. – Following the Trump Administration’s submission to Congress on a proposed U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement, referred to as a “123 agreement,” Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—co-chair of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—issued the following statement:

“With this deal, President Trump is not only triggering a nuclear arms race in the Middle East but also weakening America’s security and standing on the world stage.

“The President’s decision to provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear deal that does not meet the bipartisan Gold Standard nor mandate the Additional Protocol, both necessary to ensure sensitive U.S. technology is not used to help build a nuclear bomb, is dangerous and a strategic mistake for our national security.