Congress underscored its disapproval of Turkey imprisoning U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson on Thursday by temporarily banning transfers of F-35 joint strike fighters to the NATO ally.
House and Senate lawmakers finalized a $674 billion defense spending bill and added a passage that none of the money can be used to deliver F-35s to Ankara, which is eager to purchase about 100 of the advanced fighters.
The legislation backs a prohibition signed into law by President Trump last month as part of the Pentagon’s annual policy bill and is another sign of the deteriorating relationship between the U.S. and Ankara over Brunson.
[Opinion: Why suspending F-35 deliveries to Turkey is more bark than bite]
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was given a 90-day deadline to send Congress a report on the U.S. relationship with Turkey. None of the F-35s made by Lockheed Martin can change hands until it is delivered.
In the meantime, there is no indication Turkey intends to turn over the detained pastor, despite threats from Trump.
Brunson was charged with espionage by Turkish authorities after a failed 2016 coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Last month, Turkey rejected an appeal for Brunson to be released from house arrest.
“We will pay nothing for the release of an innocent man, but we are cutting back on Turkey!” Trump warned in a tweet last month.
Ankara wants to upgrade its air force with the F-35, billed as the world’s most advanced fighter. It has already accepted delivery of two but the aircraft remain at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona where Turkish pilots are being trained.
The prohibition on transfers may not have much of a real-world effect. No aircraft were scheduled to be sent to Turkey until next year, after the deadline for Mattis’ report to Congress passes.
The $674 billion defense appropriations bill along with the F-35 prohibition is expected to be passed by the Senate, and likely the House, next week. That could put it on the president’s desk before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
