Providing for Further Consideration of H.R. National Defense

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Smith for yielding.

I would like to speak on the Jackie Speier amendment No. 337, part of en bloc No. 3, which directs the Secretary of Defense in coordination with the Secretary of State to document details of the consideration of the waiver requirements to section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act and report on whether security assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan undermines a peaceful settlement to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Let me just say that those of us in the Armenian Caucus have been very concerned over the years about the constant waiver of requirements under section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act because the bottom line is that Azerbaijan has continued its aggression against Armenia and started a war against Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh a couple of years ago.

We don't believe there is any justification for waiving this because of the constant threat that Azerbaijan opposes not only to Nagorno- Karabakh but also to Armenia itself, which has continued ever since that war.

The bottom line is we would like to see some action, if you will, to show whether this security assistance to Azerbaijan should continue with these constant waivers. It is really a simple request, and I would ask our Members on both sides of the aisle to support this as part of the en bloc No. 3.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer amendment No. 399 as the designee of Mr. Pappas.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, a special thanks to Chairman Smith and his team for their tireless work on this bill and for including several important amendments that seek justice for the thousands of Armenians killed in Azerbaijan's deadly, unprovoked war in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss an important bipartisan amendment that would prohibit the President from selling or exporting next-generation F-16 fighter Jets and F-16 modernization kits to Turkey unless he goes through a rigorous certification process with Congress.

It is necessary, because the administration has ignored strong and consistent congressional opposition to the sale since it was first proposed last fall by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan continues to prioritize short-term personal gain above the collective good of his NATO allies, and allowing the sale to go through would be a major mistake.

He has done the bare minimum to bolster NATO's strategic posture since Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered the largest crisis the NATO alliance has faced in decades.

This destabilizing behavior is evident in his recent efforts to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO until he received absurd and unrelated concessions.

The Turkish military also has conducted dangerous and provocative violations of Greek and Cypriot sovereign territory and reportedly is planning a major offensive in Syria that could endanger countless innocent lives.

Turkey also continues to utilize S-400 missile defense systems, which potentially expose important tactical information about U.S. weaponry and military operations to Russia.

Finally, we can't ignore the Erdogan regime's human rights abuses and anti-democratic actions at home that he uses to maintain his grip on power.

The sale of American advanced fighter jets to Turkey will not incentivize Erdogan to suddenly transform into a good ally. More likely, these weapons will lead to further death and destruction in the region.

For far too long, the United States has allowed Erdogan to dictate his terms and hide behind Turkey's status as a NATO ally.

He has avoided facing real-life consequences greater than a slap on the wrist for his flagrant violations of international law at home and abroad, and it is time we finally say enough is enough.

This amendment will do just that and help take the leveraging power out of Erdogan's dangerous, autocratic hands.

I will close by thanking my friend Chris Pappas and my many other colleagues who have been supportive in the fight to hold the Erdogan regime accountable and prevent the sale from moving forward.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, let me say that I totally disagree with my colleague, and I do respect him, as he knows, but we are talking about F-16s and F-16 upgrades. I don't see how the gentleman could say that that is not within the jurisdiction of this committee and the NDAA bill. Clearly, we are talking about military weaponry here.

I also point out that what we are seeing in this amendment is basically that this sale or export should not go forward unless the President provides a certification to Congress that such a transfer is in the national interests of the United States and includes a detailed description of concrete steps taken to ensure that such F-16s are not used by Turkey for repeated, unauthorized territorial overflights of Greece.

What we are saying here is that we want some detailed analysis of what is going on here. I have to be honest and say that I have heard the President and others in the administration expound upon the F-16 sales and the upgrades and say this is a good idea, but the bottom line is they have not put forward any explanation of how this is in the national interests of the United States or any description of the problems that we face because of Turkey's continued aggression, whether it is in Greece, whether it is in Cyprus, whether it is in Armenia, whether it is in other parts of the Middle East, in Syria, Libya, the list goes on.

That is all we are really saying in this amendment, that it is time. As I said, enough is enough, and it is time for the administration to come forward and say why we are considering this. Why would you possibly do this? That is why I think it is totally appropriate to have this discussion here tonight and include this amendment.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, let me just say in closing that I understand what my colleague from Texas is saying when he talks about why he might think it is in the interest of the United States to sell these weapons or these planes to Turkey, and I respect his opinion. I don't agree, but I respect it. But we are asking that the administration put forth the reasons.

That is what this amendment is all about, not your opinion, which is fine, but what is the administration's opinion. Are they going to certify? Are they going to tell us why this is necessary? That is what this amendment is about.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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