WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday accepted laws that would create a brand new hurdle for President Joe Biden’s plan to promote F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
The House accepted the measure, supplied by Democratic Representatives Frank Pallone and Chris Pappas, as an modification to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, by 244 to 179.
It is the most recent effort by members of Congress to exert management over the sale of the Lockheed Martin plane to NATO ally Turkey.
The modification would bar the United States to promote or switch the jets to Turkey except the administration certifies that doing so is crucial to U.S. nationwide safety and included an outline of concrete steps taken to guarantee they aren’t used for repeated unauthorized overflights of Greece.
Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who evaluations main worldwide weapons deal, has stated beforehand he opposed the sale.
However, it’s a number of steps from turning into legislation. Once the House passes its model of the NDAA – anticipated afterward Thursday – the Senate should approve its model. Then lawmakers should attain a compromise model of the laws, which authorizes greater than $800 billion in protection spending, earlier than voting once more later this yr.
Many U.S. lawmakers soured on Ankara after its 2019 acquisition of a Russian-made missile protection system, triggering U.S. sanctions in addition to Turkey’s elimination from the F-35 fighter jet program.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s more and more authoritarian grip on energy and eroding freedoms for journalists, advocates and rights defenders have additionally prompted many in Washington to argue towards a weapons sale to Turkey.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, further reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
