Honoring Our Fallen TSA Officers Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 372) expressing concern for the United States- Turkey alliance.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 372.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased to rise in strong support of this measure to address the developing situation with Turkey. I want to thank my colleagues who joined me to introduce this legislation; first and foremost, Ranking Member McCaul, Leader Hoyer, Minority Leader McCarthy, Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Granger, Chairman Nadler and Ranking Member Collins.

Madam Speaker, Turkey is a NATO ally and a nation with which we have had a long history of friendship and partnership. But I am deeply troubled by the direction that President Erdogan is taking his country.

During his time in office, we have watched as Erdogan has turned Turkey into an authoritarian state, attacking the democratic values that our two nations had shared for many years. He has cracked down on the freedom of the press, thrown innocent people in jail for voicing opposition, and consolidated his grip on power at the expense of Turkey's democratic institutions.

And his troubling behavior doesn't stop there. Erdogan is cozying up to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, putting the security interests of the United States and the NATO alliance at risk.

Turkey's plan to acquire the Russian S-400 air defense system would threaten American security and do lasting damage to our historic bilateral relationship. It simply cannot happen, especially while Turkey is still a U.S. and NATO ally participating in the F-35 program and hoping to acquire these planes.

Today's resolution gets at this very issue. If Turkey wants to continue as a NATO ally and U.S. partner, it must commit to upholding our shared interests. And if Turkey decides to follow through on its plan to acquire the Russian S-400, then they must not be able to get American F-35s; they must not participate in the F-35 program; and they must face the consequences of their decision.

And it is not that the United States is unable to comprehend Turkey's need for air defense. In fact, we have offered the Patriot anti- aircraft/anti-missile defense system, the top of the line in our inventory. That offer remains on the table.

We rarely see it in foreign affairs, but this is simply a black-and- white issue. There is no middle ground. Either Mr. Erdogan cancels the Russian deal, or he doesn't. And there is no future for Turkey having both Russian weapons and American F-35s.

There is no third option. There is no path for mitigation that will allow Turkey to have its cake and eat it too. We cannot risk exposing our national-security technology to Russia.

There is no partisan divide on this issue. The State Department, the Defense Department, the Treasury, even Vice President Pence have all been raising the alarm and urging President Erdogan to cancel the sale. I hope President Trump listens to his advisers and makes sure Turkey's leaders understand the consequences of their actions.

And the consequences are serious. If Turkey follows through with the acquisition of the S-400, it would trigger sanctions that Congress overwhelmingly, bipartisanly passed 2 years ago. It is critical that Turkey knows that the United States will use these tools if the situation arises.

In the meantime, it is important that we pass this measure and send a clear message: The United States will not sit by as Erdogan turns Turkey into an authoritarian state aligned with our adversary Russia.

Let me say that again. It is important that we pass this measure and send a clear message: The United States will not sit idly by as Erdogan turns Turkey into an authoritarian state aligned with our adversary Russia.

So I am pleased to support this.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Financial Services,

Washington, DC, March 21, 2019.

Hon. Elliot Engel,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H. Res. 372,

Expressing Concern for the United States Turkey Alliance.

Because you have been working with the Committee on

Financial Services concerning provisions in H. Res. 372 that

fall within our Rule X jurisdiction, I agree to forego formal

consideration of H. Res. 372 so that it may proceed

expeditiously to the House floor. The Committee on Financial

Services takes this action to forego formal consideration of

H. Res. 372 with our mutual understanding that, by foregoing

formal consideration of H. Res. 372 at this time, we do not

waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in

this or similar legislation.

Finally, and consistent with your letter of May 30, 2019, I

would request that a copy of our exchange of letters on this

matter be included in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration of H. Res. 372.

Sincerely,

Maxine Waters,

Chairwoman.

Madam Speaker, I don't have any speakers on this side. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Once again, I am pleased to support this bipartisan measure that strengthens our security policy in Europe. I thank Ranking Member McCaul and all of the other chairs and ranking members of important committees who have stood by us on this bill. It is really a Congress speaking with one voice in a very bipartisan fashion for something that is really very important.

Today's resolution reaffirms the historic partnership between the United States and Turkey, and it lays the groundwork for how Erdogan can start to put this relationship back on the right track.

We cannot stand by as he turns this NATO ally into an authoritarian regime aligned with Vladimir Putin. So I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution that Chairman Engel and I introduced because of our serious concerns regarding the United States-Turkey alliance.

Turkey has been a member of NATO for almost 70 years. Through our bilateral and multilateral relationship, we have worked together to advance our shared objectives.

However, I am deeply disturbed and concerned that our relationship is increasingly characterized by bumps in the road. And right now, we are all watching as Turkey stands at a fork in the road.

This summer, Turkey is scheduled to obtain the Russian S-400 defense system. Purchasing the S-400 would have unavoidable negative consequences for U.S.-Turkey relations.

By law, the purchase would trigger congressionally-mandated sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions law. The purchase also puts at risk Turkish participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Program and broader security cooperation, including future U.S. arms sales.

The F-35 program promotes NATO interoperability. And Turkey's decision to complete the purchase of the S-400 would erode its partnership in this multilateral alliance.

While we are deeply, deeply concerned about our alliance with Turkey, we very much want to rehabilitate our relationship. Both sides of a bilateral partnership need to take steps toward strengthening and preserving it. That is why this resolution expresses full support for the United States Government's offer to sell Turkey the Patriot system if Turkey does not acquire the S-400. We want to give Turkey the ability to accommodate its security needs without endangering its place in NATO.

So Turkey really has a clear binary choice between buying Russian S- 400s and the U.S. offer to accelerate the delivery of Patriot missiles.

So I call upon Turkey to now step forward and choose the United States and NATO over Russia.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Let me just say this: Chairman Engel and I met with the Foreign Minister of Turkey and their Ambassador trying to avoid this impasse, this choice between Russia and the United States.

And Chairman Engel and I talked about this alliance that we have with them.

Nearly 70 years ago, NATO and the United States stood with Turkey against growing Soviet aggression. In fact, that is the reason NATO was formed in the first place. That is why we have Incirlik Air Force Base in Turkey. And yet, the idea that Turkey would break from this alliance and choose Russia over the United States, truly, is a defining moment for Turkey.

I hope they are listening to this debate as we speak right now. They still have time to salvage this, what I consider to be an error in judgment of choosing Russia over NATO and the United States of America.

That is why this resolution is so important. It sends a very strong message to Erdogan and to Turkey, that we are not going to allow this to happen; and, in fact, it would run afoul of the sanctions that we passed almost overwhelmingly in the House and Senate against Russia. It would sort of violate the Russia sanctions law.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Engel for his strong bipartisan support on this issue. We are on the right side of history, and I urge my colleagues to support this.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 372, Expressing Concern for the United States-Turkey Alliance.

Turkey has failed in its basic NATO responsibility to safeguard the freedom and security of NATO allies, both politically, and militarily. Turkey has bullied and continues to bully the U.S. and NATO allies around the world, in particular, Greece and Cyprus.

Meanwhile, Turkey has grown ever closer in diplomatic and military ties to the authoritarian regimes of Russia and Iran, sowing international instability, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, Madam Speaker, which is why I joined my colleagues in introducing H.R. 91, to reaffirm the robust commitment of the House of Representatives to the importance of the United States, Israel, Greece, and Cyprus partnership.

The Russian S-400 missile defense system is in no way interoperable with NATO's defense systems and represents a dangerous vulnerability to the F-35 program in the event an S-400 system user learns how to target lock F-35s and shares that knowledge with other international bad actors. We can't take that chance.

Rewarding an international bad actor with F-35s, one of the most sophisticated articles of U.S. military technology, while they imprison and orchestrate brazen acts of violence against U.S. citizens, threaten U.S. allies and their sovereignty, and violate international law, sends the wrong message to the enemies of freedom and stability around the world.

The clock has nearly struck midnight on the U.S.-Turkey relationship, and the time has come for Turkey to choose whether it will stand with the United States and NATO or fall with revisionist powers like Russia and China.

In closing, Madam Speaker, I would like to applaud my good friends, Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul, along with Leaders Hoyer and McCarthy and the leadership of both the House Appropriations and Judiciary Committees, who made this possible.

I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution.