--- title: Republican Lawmaker Breaks Ranks With Trump Over Saudi Arabia Nuclear Deal description: “We're bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we're signing a deal with another country,” said the Republican Senator. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/07/27/republican-senator-kennedy-breaks-ranks-trump-us-saudi-arabia-nuclear-deal/ author: Olivia-Anne Cleary article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-07-27T15:50:09.936Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-27T15:50:10.095Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republican Lawmaker Breaks Ranks With Trump Over U.S.-Saudi Arabia Nuclear Deal og:description: “We're bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we're signing a deal with another country,” said the Republican Senator. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/07/27/republican-senator-kennedy-breaks-ranks-trump-us-saudi-arabia-nuclear-deal/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92d1f31d65f626a6/6a6777670876016c92642dda/GettyImages-2282602324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 7982 og:image:height: 4490 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2282602324.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republican Lawmaker Breaks Ranks With Trump Over U.S.-Saudi Arabia Nuclear Deal twitter:description: “We're bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we're signing a deal with another country,” said the Republican Senator. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92d1f31d65f626a6/6a6777670876016c92642dda/GettyImages-2282602324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republican Lawmaker Breaks Ranks With Trump Over U.S.-Saudi Arabia Nuclear Deal > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/)  ## Olivia-Anne Cleary Cleary is an editor at TIME, based in the London bureau. Jul 27, 2026 3:50 PM UTC  President Donald Trump (C), alongside (L/R) Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Rick Scott, Sen. John Barrasso, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune after a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2026. President Donald Trump (C), alongside (L/R) Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Rick Scott, Sen. John Barrasso, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune after a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2026. Saul Loeb—Getty Images  by [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/)  ## Olivia-Anne Cleary Cleary is an editor at TIME, based in the London bureau. Jul 27, 2026 3:50 PM UTC President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/7280106/trump-interview-100-days-2025/)’s civil nuclear deal with ‌Saudi Arabia has sparked debate among not only Democratic lawmakers, but also within the GOP. Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana raised issue with Trump’s proposed arrangement, firmly answering “no” when asked if he was comfortable with it, insisting it’s “just not good timing.” “Maybe someday, but not right now,” Kennedy [told](https://youtu.be/aWaexVm3M8o?t=16) _Face the Nation_ on Sunday, pointing to the [resumed Iran war](https://time.com/article/2026/07/20/iran-war-us-service-members-killed-trump-democrat-lawmakers-response/) as a key point of his opposition. “We're bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we're signing a deal with another country,” he said. “I know it's a commercial agreement, but that the world perceives, as possibly, someday, leading to a nuclear weapon.” Kennedy referred to the moment as a “hair trigger,” pointing to the conflicts [in Ukraine](https://time.com/article/2026/07/02/russia-drone-missile-attack-kyiv-ukraine-death-toll/), the Middle East, and [America’s strained relationship with Europe ](https://time.com/article/2026/05/01/trump-threatens-to-withdraw-us-troops-italy-spain-europe-iran-war/)as examples of the tense political climate that has left people “scared.” The U.S. and Saudi Arabia announced they had reached a civil nuclear agreement on Wednesday, in addition to signing an accompanying bilateral safeguards agreement. The U.S. Department of Energy [described the deal](https://www.energy.gov/articles/united-states-and-saudi-arabia-reach-historic-nuclear-cooperation-agreement) as “a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement” that “provides great access for American companies in the Saudi nuclear energy program, benefiting American industry, workers, and supply chains while helping to meet Saudi energy needs.” However, the day after the agreement was signed, Trump added a condition—stating the deal is dependent on Riyadh recognizing Israel under the[ Abraham Accords.](https://time.com/7318734/future-of-abraham-accords/) “The civil nuclear deal (there will be no enrichment of material) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” Trump [declared](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116969149016233329) via Truth Social. In the Oval Office on Friday, Trump reaffirmed his stance and told reporters that he had not spoken about the accords with U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright before the cabinet member signed the deal with Saudi Minister of Energy His Royal Highness (HRH) Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. “We didn’t talk about it, but it was always understood, and Chris knew and Saudi Arabia knew, that if they didn’t join the Abraham Accords… I’m not going to do the deal,” Trump [said](https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbMNPbzirbW/). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed support for the idea, [saying](https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2080281833376284704) “Saudi Arabia's joining of the Abraham Accords would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East.” Trump’s demand for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel placed further doubt on the deal for some, including Sen. Kennedy. “I don't think it's going to happen, anyway, because the President's conditioned it on Saudi Arabia recognizing Israel, and they're not, they're not going to do that,” he said. Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the add-on condition to the deal, but Riyadh officials have long maintained they would not recognize Israel without a clear pathway toward a Palestinian state. The post-signing condition has also prompted a response from Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who called it a “complete whiplash.” “The Saudis have been very clear that they will normalize relations with Israel when we’re on a clear path toward developing a Palestinian state, living side-by-side—security for both Palestinians and Israelis,” Van Hollen [told](https://youtu.be/lrJxyk4NKQs?t=331) _This Week. “_That has been the Saudi position. And so, what the Trump Administration did was a bait-and-switch scheme.”  Sen. John Kennedy asks questions during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images ### What happens now? The U.S.-Saudi Arabia civil nuclear deal—commonly known as a 123 agreement—needs to be transmitted to Congress for approval. Congress has 90 days to review and, if desired, raise votes to object to the deal. If Congress does not pass a resolution to block the deal, it goes into force. There would need to be a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto. As lawmakers across party aisles have raised concerns and questions about the deal, the road ahead is uncertain. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/07/27/republican-senator-kennedy-breaks-ranks-trump-us-saudi-arabia-nuclear-deal/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/07/27/republican-senator-kennedy-breaks-ranks-trump-us-saudi-arabia-nuclear-deal/"},"headline":"Republican Lawmaker Breaks Ranks With Trump Over U.S.-Saudi Arabia Nuclear Deal","datePublished":"2026-07-27T15:50:09.936Z","dateModified":"2026-07-27T15:50:10.095Z","description":"“We're bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon, but we're signing a deal with another country,” said the Republican Senator.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/07/27/republican-senator-kennedy-breaks-ranks-trump-us-saudi-arabia-nuclear-deal/","keywords":["Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92d1f31d65f626a6/6a6777670876016c92642dda/GettyImages-2282602324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia-Anne Cleary","jobTitle":"Cleary is an editor at TIME, based in the London bureau.","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt92d1f31d65f626a6/6a6777670876016c92642dda/GettyImages-2282602324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-2282602324.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Saul Loeb—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/07/27/republican-senator-kennedy-breaks-ranks-trump-us-saudi-arabia-nuclear-deal/","name":"Republican Lawmaker Breaks Ranks With Trump Over U.S.-Saudi Arabia Nuclear Deal"}}]}] ```