Senator Rand Paul seeks to block Biden sale of F-16s to Turkey

WASHINGTON—Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican serving on the Foreign Relations Committee, has introduced legislation to block President Biden’s proposed sale of U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, a move strongly supported by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The ANCA is urging nationwide grassroots outreach to senators through its online portal at https://anca.org/F16

The Paul Resolution, a privileged measure entitled to an up-or-down vote of the full U.S. Senate, would prohibit a broad array of weapons systems, in addition to the pending sale of F-16s. The resolution’s predicate is Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) of 1976.

“Turkey is today a NATO ally in name only – an increasingly hostile state that undermines our American interests, attacks our regional allies and rejects our democratic values,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “President Biden shouldn’t ship Ankara a single bullet, much less one of our most advanced weapons systems – arms that will surely be deployed against Greeks, Cypriots, Kurds and Armenians – as they were during Azerbaijan’s 2020 attack on Artsakh.”

Senator Paul’s joint resolution of disapproval would help reassert Congress’ crucial oversight role over arms sales and force a long-overdue public conversation about the U.S.-Turkey relationship. Extensive civil society reporting and successive State Department reports document that Turkey is not statutorily eligible for either U.S. security assistance or military sales. This measure would bring actual administration policy into alignment with U.S. law.