ANCA welcomes bipartisan Congressional action to block arms sales to Turkey
ANCA backs Titus resolution against engine sale, Lawler-Sherman letter against F-35 reintegration
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomed two separate Congressional actions today aimed at blocking Turkey’s return to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and halting a proposed $700 million sale of jet engines to Ankara.
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block the transfer of General Electric F110-GE-129E/F engines to Turkey’s KAAN fighter aircraft program. The resolution targets Transmittal No. 24-051, submitted to Congress on June 24 under Section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, and comes as the 15-day statutory review period triggered by that notification nears its end.
Titus told POLITICO’s National Security Daily that “the regime of Turkish President Erdoğan has made repeated threats of military action against NATO allies and other partner nations throughout the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean,” adding that selling the engines to Turkey would “embolden it to pursue those threats.”
“Turkey, having armed and enabled Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia and ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, should not be handed the keys to America’s most advanced fighter jets,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Rep. Titus’s resolution is a serious step toward holding Ankara accountable, and we urge its immediate adoption.”
On a parallel track, Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Brad Sherman (D-CA) led a bipartisan letter to President Trump opposing any effort to readmit Turkey to the F-35 program. The letter was cosigned by Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jeff Hurd (R-CO), Max Miller (R-OH), Young Kim (R-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Gabe Amo (D-RI) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).
The letter points to Turkey’s ongoing military presence in the northern occupied part of Cyprus and its aggressive posture toward Greece amid recurring maritime and air disputes as evidence Ankara “has hardly been a reliable partner in the present day.” Reps. Lawler and Sherman wrote that the administration should “maintain this prohibition today,” warning that reversing the F-35 ban “would send the wrong message to President Erdogan and to our allies and partners both in Europe and the Middle East.”
“We join Representatives Lawler and Sherman in opposing the sale of America’s most advanced weapons systems to Turkey — an increasingly hostile state that threatens both U.S. interests and our American allies,” stated Hamparian.
Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, prompting CAATSA sanctions during President Trump’s first term. The FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act bars F-35 transfers to Turkey so long as Ankara retains the S-400. Turkey has not disposed of the system. President Trump signaled his intent to readmit Turkey to the F-35 program during a June 24 meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, describing the move as a “big gift” for Erdogan. That same day, Vice President JD Vance told reporters that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team was reviewing what would be required to certify Turkey’s compliance with U.S. law, saying “the president has asked us to do that.”
The ANCA joined Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) and the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) in opposing the engine sale and Turkey’s F-35 reintegration as soon as the administration notified Congress and President Trump signaled his intent on June 24.
The ANCA circulated policy memos to Congressional offices this week backing the Titus resolution and encouraging Members to cosign the Lawler-Sherman letter. The memo warned that Turkey’s readmission to the F-35 program “would send a dangerous signal to regional allies and partners amid Ankara’s destabilizing conduct,” and urged Congress to make clear that Turkey “will not continue to be rewarded with impunity” for conduct that undermines its neighbors’ security and violates its obligations as a NATO ally.
The ANCA continues to press for a separate Titus-led letter to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, urging the introduction of a Joint Resolution of Disapproval under CAATSA Section 216(c)(3) to block Turkey’s readmission to the F-35 program. That letter cites Turkey’s material support to Azerbaijan in its military campaigns against Armenia — including its role in Azerbaijan’s assault on Artsakh — among the reasons Ankara should not be entrusted with America’s most advanced weapons platform. The request comes ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara on July 7-8.
The ANCA-led campaign to block the engine sale and F-35 reintegration continues at anca.org/noengines.
