With defense appropriations season in full swing on Capitol Hill, offering Turkey military aid would only reward President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s threats against Washington’s allies, strain NATO’s cohesion, and enable Turkey’s further slide into autocracy.

Members of Congress are in the midst of proposing several much-needed amendments to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Among these are programs to strengthen security coordination with Washington’s Mediterranean allies, investigate Turkey’s special relationship with Hamas, and punish Erdogan’s abysmal treatment of the Turkish people and Ankara’s formal allies.

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