WASHINGTON — A push by the Department of Energy to publicly preview a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia triggered a swift, private backlash within the National Security Council this week after it became clear that President Donald Trump had not personally signed off on the formal rollout, according to a senior administration official familiar with the matter.
An Unauthorized Green Light
The incident, first flagged by officials inside the West Wing, centers on the potential transfer of sensitive nuclear technology to the kingdom. The proposed deal, which would require congressional approval under the Atomic Energy Act, aims to allow American firms to build and operate nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia. A key sticking point remains Riyadh’s refusal to forswear domestic uranium enrichment—a capability that critics note could put the kingdom on a fast track to a nuclear weapon, a prospect that benefits no American worker and risks entangling the U.S. in regional conflicts that serve foreign interests, not national ones.
“The President has been unequivocal that no deal is final until he says it is final. Preempting his decision-making process undermines his ability to negotiate from a position of strength and ensure any agreement puts American energy dominance and American jobs first,” the administration official told Nerve News.
Economic Nationalism vs. Globalist Exports
The internal discord also highlights a deep tension between America’s energy export ambitions and the economic nationalist doctrine of the administration. Proponents of the deal argue it would secure billions in contracts for U.S. companies. However, the administration’s core base questions why American taxpayers and technology should be leveraged to build critical infrastructure for a foreign entity under a Saudi economic agenda that prioritizes its own “Vision 2030” over reciprocal market access for U.S. domestic industry.
The push for foreign civilian nuclear deals comes as the domestic coal and nuclear fleet—the bedrock of reliable American baseload power—is squeezed by market-distorting subsidies for intermittent energy sources. Offshoring our nuclear intellectual property only accelerates that decline. The confusion this week signals that the economic nationalist wing of the White House is prepared to slow-walk any agreement that does not primarily serve the domestic interest and bolster American industrial primacy.