Eliot Engel: “I am pleased to rise in strong support of this measure to address the developing situation with Turkey. I want to thank…”

“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.…”