Pappas Leads Bipartisan Group in Opposing Unlawful Sale of Fighter Jets to Turkey, Protecting U.S. National Security

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), alongside Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), and Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), co-chairs and vice chairs of the Hellenic Caucus, led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth opposing the Trump Administration's discussions with Turkey regarding sale of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets despite its possession of Russian S-400 missile systems, urging the Administration to respect and uphold U.S. law before proceeding with such a sale.

Turkey was removed from the F-35 program by the Trump Administration in 2019 and is currently subject to sanctions under the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) because of the Erdogan government’s decision to purchase Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system in direct violation of U.S. law.

Emphasizing the risk to U.S. national security, the members wrote, “The security risks of Turkey’s acquisition and continued possession of the Russian S-400 system are well known. The S-400 poses a direct threat to U.S. military aircraft, including both the F-16 and F-35, by enabling Russian intelligence to gain insight into sensitive U.S. military technology if operated alongside these platforms.”

Highlighting the Administration’s certification requirements to Congress before any sale can proceed the members wrote, “In addition to CAATSA, Congress enacted Section 1245 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act… which imposes specific legal restrictions on any transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey… However, no such certification has been provided to Congress, nor has Turkey taken the steps necessary to qualify for one. Any sale or transfer of F-35 aircraft or related systems in the absence of this certification would therefore constitute a clear violation of U.S. law. Furthermore, any attempt to circumvent these requirements…would blatantly defy congressional intent.”

They concluded: “Congress has consistently upheld bipartisan restrictions on Turkey’s access to the F-35. Any move to reverse this policy without first securing the statutorily required certification would be a clear violation of U.S. law, undermine Congressional authority, and signal to others that U.S. law and strategic principles can be disregarded”

The letter can be read in full HERE. 

The letter is supported by AHEPA, the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), American Friends of Kurdistan, Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), American Jewish Committee (AJC), CUFI Action Fund, FDD Action, and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), Middle East Forum (MEF), and PSEKA – International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus.

Background:

The Trump Administration removed Turkey from the F-35 program in 2019. In recent months, it has been reported that the Trump Administration is actively discussing Turkey’s readmission to the program with President Erdogan. In advance of today’s meeting between President Trump and President Erdogan, it has been reported that the administration is moving toward the sale of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. 

Pappas has led bipartisan efforts under both the Biden and Trump administrations to stop the sale of fighter jets to Turkey in response to Turkey’s continued violation of U.S. law, unprovoked aggression against key U.S. allies, and destabilizing actions throughout the region. Following repeated calls on the State Department to block the sale of fighter jets to Turkey, Pappas secured passage of a bipartisan amendment in the House FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have prohibited the sale of F-16s to Turkey.

In August, following public reporting that Turkey was seeking relief from CAATSA sanctions and re-enter the F-35 program despite its possession of S-400s, Pappas led a bipartisan group in calling on the Trump Administration to reject Turkey’s attempts, maintain sanctions, and uphold U.S. law.