US working with Congress towards Turkey F-16 sale
Opposition to the sale of 40 new fighter jets remains entrenched in the Senate.
The Biden administration is working with lawmakers in Congress in hopes of advancing a long-anticipated $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, Al-Monitor has learned.
Members of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees were informally notified of the proposal, which includes 40 new F-16s and upgrades for some 80 of Turkey’s existing F-16s, on Thursday ahead of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s visit to Washington next week.
The notification triggers a 15-day window for internal committee deliberations before the administration can formally move forward with the sale, but the process is likely to take far longer than that, sources close to the discussions said.
A State Department spokesperson cited longstanding policy in declining to confirm or comment on the sale proposal, as it has not yet been formally notified to Congress. The latest progress was first reported earlier today by The Wall Street Journal.
