Gillibrand, Bipartisan Group Of Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Release All Documents From U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined a bipartisan group of senators to press the Trump administration to declassify and publicly release the two side letters accompanying the proposed U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement, referred to as a “123 agreement.” The Trump administration recently submitted the 123 agreement to Congress—as is required by law—but while the agreement references the side letters, the letters themselves are classified, which is unprecedented. Because the side letters affect the obligations and operation of the underlying agreement, Congress and the public cannot fully assess what the United States and Saudi Arabia have agreed to without seeing them. “Transparency is the only path to truth,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Protecting our national security is of the utmost importance, and a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia has serious implications for it. There is no justification for hiding key parts of this agreement from the public. As part of our constitutional oversight responsibilities, we are demanding that the Trump administration declassify and release these side letters without delay so the American people get the transparency and accountability they deserve.” In their letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, the bipartisan group of senators wrote: “Congress has a statutory responsibility under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act to review the proposed nuclear deal, which seeks to facilitate nuclear cooperation with significant implications for U.S. national security interests. Access to the full text is required for the Senate and the public to have a clear understanding of the commitments being made on the nation’s behalf and those being made by Saudi Arabia to the United States.” “Transparency and open debate are cornerstones of our democracy,” the senators continued. “Congress and the American public must have a meaningful opportunity to review and debate the key components of the U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal before it potentially enters into force. To that end, we call on you to declassify and release the two side letters without delay.” Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, has long fought for transparency and oversight around nuclear weapons policy. She led 26 senators in urging President Trump to preserve key nuclear arms control treaties during his first term, and earlier this year, she introduced legislation that would bring much-needed oversight to the military’s use of AI, including banning its use to launch nuclear weapons. She also demanded that the Trump administration give Congress a full intelligence briefing on its strikes last year against Iran’s nuclear facilities. In addition to Senator Gillibrand, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Edward Markey (D-MA), Rand Paul (R-KY), John Kennedy (R-LA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Peter Welch (D-VT). The full text of the letter is available here . ###