US Senate To Vote On Resolution Looking To Halt F-16 Sales

Andrew Desiderio at Punchbowl News posts on X: "Senate will vote today on Rand Paul’s [R-KY] effort to block the sale of F-16s to Turkey This will be a fascinating vote. Turkey has angered members on both sides of the aisle over its delay in ratifying Sweden for NATO. Many Dems have also opposed the F-16 sale on human rights grounds".

• The resolution faces a difficult path to implementation. Should the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote to discharge the resolution to the Senate floor it would need to be passed by a majority. The same version would also have to be introduced and passed in the House. If it reaches President Biden's desk there is the prospect of a presidential veto, which could only be overturned by a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers of Congress.
• Nevertheless, today's vote likely to be watched closely in Ankara for indications of the scale of lawmaker opposition to closer defence links between the US and Turkey in Washington, D.C.,
• The entire package of 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets, eighty modernisation packages for existing jets, and a host of other munitions to assist with the upgrading of the military is expected to cost the Turkish gov't around USD23bn.
• Getting US approval for this package was seen as a key factor in Turkey's eventual approval of Sweden's NATO accession. In the unlikely event that the Paul resolution scuppers the deal it could result in a significant falling out between the US and Turkey.