Initiative in Congress to prevent the possible return of Turkey to the F-35 program is being spearheaded by Democratic Representative from Nevada, Dina Titus. This decision was made following statements by President Donald Trump, which left open the possibility of a new defense agreementwith Ankara ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey, as reported by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
According to the text of the letter, which is currently in the process of gathering signatures, the lawmakers will ask the leadership of the House of Representatives to be prepared to exercise the powers granted to it by law, in order to prevent any decision to reinstate Turkey in the F-35 program, unless the issue of the Russian S -400 and CAATSA sanctions.
The Arms Export Control Act
Congress’s options for action are set forth in the Arms Export Control Act, which gives members of the House of Representatives and the Senate the ability to attempt to block the transaction through a joint resolution of disapproval.
The “joint resolution of disapproval,” as it is called, is the official legislative tool available to lawmakers following the government’s formal notification of the proposed sale.
The letter is to be sent to the Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives, Steve Scalise, and to the Democratic minority leader, Hakim Jeffries. The text points out that the Trump administration cannot circumvent the obligations arising from U.S. law as long as Turkey continues to possess the Russian S-400 air defense system.
The new move in the House of Representatives
The new move in the House of Representatives comes in the wake of statements made by President Trump at the White House, during his meeting with the Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte.When asked by a reporter if he intended to travel to Turkey with a “big bag of gifts,” in reference to Ankara’s request to acquire General Electric engines and F-35 fighter jets, the U.S. president replied in the affirmative. The letter notes that these statements were made ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8.
The controversial statement by Jay D. Vance
The authors of the letter also cite the statement by Vice President Jay D. Vance, who stated that a formal review process is already underway to determine how a potential sale could proceed legally. As noted in the text, Mr. Vance remarked that “Pete Hegese and the entire team are examining the issue at this time.”
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019, following its decision to procure the Russian-made S-400 air defense system. Washington had determined that the presence of this system in a NATO member country posed a risk to sensitive information related to the capabilities of the American fighter jet.
The 2020 letter
The letter recalls that in December 2020, the State Department of the first Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Turkish Defense Industry Presidency, pursuant to Section 231 of the CAATSA Act, that is, the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. This decision, as noted, has not been revoked and remains in effect.
The legal argument in the letter is that the purchase of S -400s from Turkey constituted a significant transaction with an entity acting on behalf of the defense or intelligence sector of Russia.
The lawmakers emphasize that there is no publicly available evidence indicating that Turkey has removed the system, that it has withdrawn it from operational use, or that it has addressed the cause that originally led to the imposition of sanctions.
The Blockade in Turkey
In addition to the CAATSA sanctions, the letter also cites the National Defense Authorization Act (Pentagon budget) for fiscal year 2020, which prohibits the transfer of F – 35s to Turkey unless Ankara no longer possesses the S -400 system, provides assurances that it will not seek to acquire it again, and confirms that it has not accepted additional deliveries related to the S – 400 or any other system that could jeopardize U.S. defense systems.
Marco Rubio’s acceptance of compliance
In the same context, the lawmakers refer to the June 3, 2026, hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, during which, as they note, Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that the government is legally bound to maintain sanctions against Turkey and cannot reinstate Ankara into the F-35 program.
With this initiative, Ms. Titus seeks to prompt Congress to act in a timely manner in response to a possible attempt by the Trump administration to reopen the door for Turkey to rejoin the F-35 program. The message of the letter is that any such move cannot be viewed solely as a matter of defense policy, but also as a matter of compliance with binding U.S. law.
Congress’s institutional check on arms sales
When the White House decides to proceed with a major arms sale, Congress does not limit itself to issuing statements of concern. Under the Arms Export Control Act, members of the House and Senate can attempt to block the transaction through a joint resolution of disapproval. This is the official legislative tool at their disposal following the government’s formal notification of the proposed sale.
The review window is limited
However, this is a mechanism that is difficult to implement effectively in practice. Once the government sends the official notification to Congress, a limited review period begins, typically 30 or 15 days for NATO allies and certain close partners of the United States. During this period, members of Congress may introduce a resolution stating that the sale should not proceed.
The resolution does not, in and of itself, have a binding effect. To stop the sale, it must be approved in identical language by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and then either signed by the president or override a potential presidential veto. This means that a simple majority may be enough to send a political message, but it is not enough to block an administration that is determined to move forward. In such a case, Congress would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override the veto.
