Congress puts US military sales to Turkey in jeopardy
Lawmakers in both chambers want to penalize the NATO ally for detaining an American pastor and signing arms deals with Russia.
Congressional frustration with Turkey has reached a boiling point.
After months of deferring to the Donald Trump administration and forgoing punitive measures for fear of worsening an already sour relationship with a NATO ally, lawmakers are taking matters into their own hands.
House legislators last week attached a provision to a must-pass defense bill that would curtail major arms sales to Turkey over its impending purchase of the S-400 Russian missile defense system. Their Senate counterparts are gearing up to attach an even more severe weapons ban to their version of the bill.
And lawmakers aren’t stopping there: Several senators are also pushing to sanction senior Turkish officials in retaliation for Ankara’s monthslong incarceration of an American pastor. Turkish retaliation against Israel for this week’s bloodshed in Gaza, including Ankara’s expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and Turkey's calls for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have further strained relations with the United States.
