The Trump administration plans to move forward with a $750 million sale of F-110 jet engines to Turkey despite objections from a senior Democratic lawmaker, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The administration informed Congress late Tuesday that it would bypass the formal review process for the arms package.
The engines, manufactured by General Electric, are intended for Turkey’s domestically developed KAAN fighter jet. The sale comes ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara scheduled for July 7-8, where President Trump is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, placed a hold on the sale during the informal review process. Meeks has raised concerns about Turkey’s continued possession of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, which the United States considers a security threat.
In a statement released Wednesday, Meeks said the State Department did not justify its decision to bypass congressional review. He said the administration did not invoke emergency authority or provide a written explanation. “It simply informed my office that it would immediately proceed with a formal notification of the sale,” Meeks said.
Meeks also noted that the equipment will not be delivered for years. He called the decision “a deliberate choice to shut Congress out and to treat legitimate oversight as an inconvenience to be brushed aside”.
The State Department declined to comment on the matter. A Trump administration official defended the move, citing the president’s close ties with Erdogan and describing Turkey as a “great partner in the region,” according to Anadolu Agency. The official said the administration has maintained regular communication with Congress on the topic.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 after it acquired the Russian S-400 system. The United States also imposed sanctions on Turkish defense entities under the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Washington has said the Russian system could collect intelligence on advanced U.S. military technology if operated alongside American aircraft.
Turkey has maintained that the S-400 system does not conflict with NATO systems and has proposed a joint commission to study the issue. Ankara has also argued that its suspension from the F-35 program violated the terms of the multinational project.
The engine sale is expected to be finalized in the coming days, followed by a formal notification from the State Department to Congress. The congressional review process allows lawmakers to raise objections, but those objections are not binding.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that he is likely to take a step that would make Turkey “very happy” when asked about Ankara’s request for fighter jets and engines. The president is scheduled to visit Turkey early next month for the NATO summit.
Turkey commands the second-largest army in NATO and has played an increasingly prominent role in regional security matters. Turkish leaders have helped broker ceasefire negotiations during the war with Iran, and NATO air defenses have intercepted Iranian missiles aimed at Turkish territory.
The proposed sale includes F110-GE-129 engines, which are already used on prototypes of the Turkish fighter jet. Turkey’s KAAN program was launched in 2016 as part of efforts to build a domestic defense industry.