Washington, DC -- Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement on the State Department’s decision to bypass Congressional review on an arms sale of more than $700 million worth of equipment to the Turkish military:
“Late yesterday, the administration informed me it would once again bypass Congressional review for more than $700 million in defense articles to the Turkish military in yet another deeply troubling example of this administration’s open contempt for Congress’s oversight authority.
“In this case, the State Department did not even attempt to justify its decision. It did not invoke any emergency authority, did not present a written rationale, and for months refused to make a good-faith effort to brief me on implications of the sale for the U.S.-Turkey relationship, Turkey’s continued possession of the Russian S-400 system, and other regional security concerns. It simply informed my office that it would immediately proceed with a formal notification of the sale.
“These items will not be delivered for years, and the administration repeatedly ignored persistent requests for information and clarification on key aspects of U.S. policy. There can be no pretense that this was urgent or unavoidable. This was a deliberate choice to shut Congress out and to treat legitimate oversight as an inconvenience to be brushed aside.”
“Late yesterday, the administration informed me it would once again bypass Congressional review for more than $700 million in defense articles to the Turkish military in yet another deeply troubling example of this administration’s open contempt for Congress’s oversight authority.
“In this case, the State Department did not even attempt to justify its decision. It did not invoke any emergency authority, did not present a written rationale, and for months refused to make a good-faith effort to brief me on implications of the sale for the U.S.-Turkey relationship, Turkey’s continued possession of the Russian S-400 system, and other regional security concerns. It simply informed my office that it would immediately proceed with a formal notification of the sale.
“These items will not be delivered for years, and the administration repeatedly ignored persistent requests for information and clarification on key aspects of U.S. policy. There can be no pretense that this was urgent or unavoidable. This was a deliberate choice to shut Congress out and to treat legitimate oversight as an inconvenience to be brushed aside.”