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The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that would create a new hurdle for President Joe Biden's plan to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, Reuters reported.

The House approved the measure, offered by Democratic Representatives Frank Pallone and Chris Pappas, as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, by 244 to 179.

It is the latest effort by members of Congress to exert control over the sale of the Lockheed Martin aircraft to NATO ally Turkey.

The amendment would bar the United States to sell or transfer the jets to Turkey unless the administration certifies that doing so is essential to U.S. national security and included a description of concrete steps taken to ensure they are not used for repeated unauthorized overflights of Greece.

Rep. Pallone rallied Congressional support for the amendment during floor debate prior to the vote. “The sale of American advanced fighter jets to Turkey will not incentivize Erdogan to suddenly transform into a good ally. More likely these weapons will lead to further death and destruction in the region. For far too long the United States has allowed Erdogan to dictate his terms and hide behind Turkey’s status as a NATO ally. He has avoided facing real-life consequences greater than a slap on the wrist for his flagrant violations of international law at home and abroad and it’s time we finally say enough is enough. This amendment will do just that and help take the leveraging power out of Erdogan’s dangerous autocratic hands,” argued Pallone.