Trump administration to override Congress to push Türkiye jet engine sale

The Trump administration is expected to move forward with a proposed $750 million sale of F-110 jet engines to Türkiye despite objections from a senior Democratic lawmaker, according to media reports.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, placed a hold on the sale over Ankara’s continued possession of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, as well as concerns related to Syria and Greece.

The administration has informed Congress that it intends to proceed with the sale of the jet engines, which are for Türkiye’s domestically developed KAAN fighter jet, despite the hold placed on the deal, describing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a “great partner in the region.”

“Late yesterday, the administration informed me it would once again bypass congressional review for more than $700 million in defense articles to the Turkish military in yet another deeply troubling example of this administration’s open contempt for Congress’s oversight authority,” Meeks said in a statement.

An administration official defended the move, citing US President Donald Trump’s close ties with President Erdogan.

“The administration always maintains maximum transparency with Congress,” the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Anadolu.

“In addition to maintaining regular communication with the Hill, (US) Ambassador (to Türkiye Tom) Barrack, Department of War officials and State Department officials have all briefed Congress in person on this topic,” the official added.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump said he is likely to take a step that would make Türkiye “very happy” when asked about Ankara’s request for F-35 fighter jets and jet engines.

Trump is expected to travel to Ankara for the NATO summit on July 7-8, where he is set to meet with President Erdogan.

The US suspended Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 after objecting to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, claiming the system would endanger the fighter jets and is inoperable with NATO systems. Several Turkish defense entities were sanctioned under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Türkiye has said repeatedly that there is no conflict between the two and proposed a commission to study the issue. Türkiye also said it fulfilled its obligations on the F-35s and that its suspension broke the rules.

Ankara maintains that the fighter jets would strengthen not only Türkiye, but also NATO.