Congressional opposition grows to Turkey's F-35 program readmission
Congressional opposition to Turkey’s return to F-35 program
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) and 17 House colleagues have urged House leadership to prepare legislation blocking any Trump administration effort to readmit Turkey to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The lawmakers cited Turkey's occupation of Cyprus, threats to Greece, and material support to Azerbaijan in its military campaign against Armenia as reasons Turkey does not qualify as a good-faith NATO partner.
The letter warns that readmitting Turkey would conflict with U.S. statutory obligations and requests House leadership introduce a Joint Resolution of Disapproval under CAATSA provisions if the administration proceeds. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing the Russian S-400 air defense system. President Trump signaled intent to readmit Turkey ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara. Congressional opposition appears bipartisan, with separate letters from Republican and Democratic lawmakers opposing the move.
