Trump signs $142 billion Saudi arms deal, largest in U.S. history

President Trump signed a $142 billion defense agreement with Saudi Arabia on May 13, 2025, during his visit to Riyadh. The White House called it 'the largest military cooperation agreement in U.S. history.' The deal was part of a larger $600 billion Saudi investment package.

The arms package covers five categories: air force advancement and space capabilities, air and missile defense, maritime and coastal security, border security and land forces modernization, and information and communication systems. More than a dozen U.S. defense contractors will supply equipment.

Saudi company DataVolt (a subsidiary of Vision Invest) announced a $20 billion commitment to build AI data centers and energy infrastructure in the United States, partnering with Supermicro for GPU platforms. F-35 stealth fighters were announced separately in November 2025.

Congress has a 30-day review period to approve or block major arms sales via joint resolution, subject to presidential veto. Congress has never successfully blocked an arms sale in history. In 2019, Trump vetoed three resolutions targeting Saudi sales, and the Senate failed to override.

The Stimson Center analyzed Trump's 2017 Saudi deal, originally announced at $110 billion. By 2025, actual Foreign Military Sales notifications totaled only $34.6 billion. CNN reported Saudi Arabia followed through with only $14.5 billion in purchases by 2018.

Human rights concerns include the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 (U.S. intelligence concluded MBMohammed bin Salman approved the killing), Saudi bombing in Yemen causing 20,000 civilian casualties, and 21.6 million Yemenis needing humanitarian assistance.

Gulf Cooperation Council states accounted for 20% of global arms imports from 2020-2024. The $142 billion deal is expected to spark a regional arms race as Iran, Israel, and other Gulf states seek comparable advanced weapons systems.

Secretary of State MRMarco Rubio's State Department cleared the sale under the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). Defense Secretary PHPete Hegseth's Pentagon Defense Security Cooperation Agency processes Foreign Military Sales and oversees Saudi military training programs.