Titus Resolution Challenges Trump’s $700 Million Turkey Jet Engine Deal

Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) introduced a joint resolution of disapproval targeting the Trump administration's proposed sale of General Electric F110 turbofan engines to Turkey, valued at more than $700 million ^[1][2]. The resolution, filed under the Arms Export Control Act, would block the transfer of approximately 80 engines intended to power Ankara's indigenous KAAN combat aircraft, currently in development by Turkish Aerospace Industries ^[3][4]. The sale, if completed, would represent one of the most significant U.S. defense transfers to Turkey since Ankara's removal from the F-35 program in 2019 ^[5].

The State Department formally notified Congress of the proposed sale on June 24, 2026, triggering a 15-day window under the Arms Export Control Act during which lawmakers may introduce a joint resolution of disapproval ^[2][6]. Under that statute, such a resolution must clear both chambers before reaching the president's desk, and President Trump retains the authority to veto it, a procedural reality that substantially narrows the path to a legislative block ^[7][8]. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated publicly that the administration had bypassed the standard informal review process, proceeding without his approval and without what he described as a "good-faith" effort to brief him on the sale's policy implications ^[9][10]. The State Department's notification to Congress stated that the U.S. government had weighed "political, military, economic, human rights, and arms control considerations" before proceeding ^[11].

Titus argued the sale would embolden Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pursue threats against NATO allies and partner nations across the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, according to POLITICO [POLITICO]. Those concerns are situated in a longer U.S.-Turkey dispute rooted in Ankara's 2019 acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system. That purchase prompted the Trump administration's first term to impose sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and led to Ankara's expulsion from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program ^[12][13]. The FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act separately bars F-35 transfers to Turkey for as long as it retains the S-400, a prohibition that remains in force ^[14][15]. Turkey has not disposed of the system ^[15].

The KAAN program sits at the center of Ankara's effort to reduce reliance on foreign defense suppliers, a strategic priority that intensified after the F-35 exclusion ^[16]. Turkey launched the KAAN program in 2016, and an initial batch of 10 F110 engines was delivered in 2025 to support prototype testing ^[17][18]. The current notification covers approximately 80 additional engines to sustain flight testing and low-rate initial production ^[19]. Turkey is simultaneously developing the TEI-TF35000 as a domestic engine replacement, but that program is not expected to be integrated into the KAAN until approximately 2032, leaving the platform dependent on U.S.-supplied powerplants through the early production phase ^[20][21]. The notification arrives days before a NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara, which Trump is expected to attend ^[22][23].

The resolution has drawn bipartisan support. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.), and Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), all Greek-American members of the Republican caucus, issued a joint statement opposing the sale ^[24]. The four cited Turkey's continued illegal occupation of northern Cyprus, its disputed maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its status as the only NATO member to decline sanctions against Russia ^[25][26]. The group stated it was engaged in active discussions with the administration and House leadership and separately opposed any move to reintegrate Turkey into the F-35 program absent full compliance with CAATSA ^[27]. Their intervention is notable because all four are members of the president's own party and, in the case of Patronis, received Trump's direct endorsement ^[28].

The administration has signaled a broader warming toward Ankara. Vice President JD Vance confirmed that a review is underway to determine whether Turkey could qualify for F-35 transfers, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged earlier in June that the administration currently lacks statutory authority to restore Turkey to the program without additional congressional action ^[29][4]. The engine sale, while short of full F-35 reinstatement, is widely read as a preparatory diplomatic gesture ahead of the Ankara summit ^[30]. Whether the Titus resolution can achieve the votes required in both chambers within the 15-day statutory window remains the operative legal question, particularly given the veto backstop available to the president ^[7][8].