In President Donald J. Trump’s Washington, Congress may no longer carry
In President Donald J. Trump’s Washington, Congress may no longer carry the same weight as an independent driver of American foreign policy, but lawmakers still retain tools to send signals and shape developments abroad.
One of the most powerful is the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which funds all U.S. national security policies. Work on this year’s bill has already begun, with a wave of proposed amendments that spotlight Turkey’s destabilizing actions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Among the most prominent are three measures introduced by Democratic Representatives Dan Goldman of New York and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. Their amendments would prohibit U.S. arms transfers to Turkey, require an assessment of the security risks posed by its continued occupation of Cyprus, and examine Ankara’s reported ties with Hamas.
Mr. Gottheimer, who has pressed for a tougher U.S. line toward Ankara, said the United States must “stand up to Turkey’s aggression against our allies and partners.” He accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of seeking to “destabilize the Eastern Mediterranean while supporting terrorist groups like Hamas and cozying up to dictators like Putin.”
He said his amendment would block the sale or transfer of U.S. weapons to Turkey
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