Over 45 U.S. Representatives Co-Sign ANCA-Backed Armenian Caucus Letter Advancing Pro-Armenian Foreign Aid Priorities
— Bipartisan Letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee Calls for Armenia Security Aid, Artsakh Refugee Relief, Azerbaijan Accountability, and TRIPP Oversight
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomed a Congressional Armenian Caucus letter — backed by over 45 Members of the House of Representatives — urging the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) to include critical pro-Armenia/Artsakh provisions in the FY27 NSRP Appropriations Bill.
The letter, addressed to Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Ranking Member Lois Frankel (D-FL), calls for expanded U.S.-Armenia security cooperation, $100 million in humanitarian assistance for Armenians forcibly displaced from Artsakh, a prohibition on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, Global Magnitsky Act sanctions accountability measures, and meaningful Congressional oversight of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) framework.
“Over forty-five members of Congress have put their names behind a clear, principled message: the United States must stand with Armenia, hold Azerbaijan accountable, and deliver justice for the Armenians of Artsakh,” stated Aram Hamparian, ANCA Executive Director. “This letter — secured through the hard work of Armenian Americans mobilizing across the country — gives the Appropriations Subcommittee a bipartisan mandate to act. The FY27 appropriations process is one of the most powerful tools Congress has, and this Caucus letter puts that power to work for our Armenian American priorities.”
Congressional Armenian Caucus Founding Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) led the letter and was joined by Representatives Gabe Amo (D-RI), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Don Beyer (D-VA), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Danny Davis (D-IL), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Laura Friedman (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), John Larson (D-CT), George Latimer (D-NY), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), James McGovern (D-MA), Rob Menendez (D-NJ), Dave Min (D-CA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Luz Rivas (D-CA), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).
Armenian Security Assistance
The letter calls for $20 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and $10 million in International Military Education and Training (IMET), warning that additional assistance “would play a critical role in strengthening Armenia’s defensive capabilities and establishing a deterrent against Azerbaijan’s unabated expansionism and threats of aggression and use of force.” The Caucus further cautioned that “the Aliyev regime will seek to take advantage of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and turmoil across the Middle East to press its military advantage against Armenia during this critical stage in negotiations.”
Humanitarian Relief for Displaced Armenians of Artsakh
The letter requests $100 million in AEECA Humanitarian Account funding, documenting that Azerbaijan’s 2023 invasion resulted in “the genocidal ethnic cleansing of the region’s entire indigenous Armenian population” following “a 10-month siege on the region, which saw Azerbaijan deliberately deprive over 120,000 ethnic Armenians access to food, fuel, medicine and other essential goods.” The Caucus warned that existing assistance “has been wholly insufficient to meet these families’ outstanding needs” and that Azerbaijan’s “continued refusal to guarantee the safe and secure return of Armenians to their homes, as required under international law, remains an ongoing obstacle to lasting peace in the region.”
Accountability for Azerbaijan and Release of Armenian Hostages
The letter calls for a full prohibition on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, documenting that “despite ongoing peace talks, Azerbaijan continues to engage in conduct that contradicts its stated commitment to peace” — including sentencing 16 Armenian prisoners of war to prison terms ranging from 15 years to life “following lengthy sham trials, during which Armenian detainees were subject to abuse and torture, and deprived of their fundamental legal rights.” The Caucus stated plainly: “President Aliyev has repeatedly demonstrated that he is not an honest broker for peace in the region, and the U.S. must not reward his regime with security assistance of any kind.” The letter also calls for a Global Magnitsky Act sanctions review targeting Azerbaijani officials responsible for human rights abuses.
TRIPP Oversight
On the TRIPP corridor framework, the letter acknowledges the agreement “raises concerns regarding Armenia’s sovereignty and ownership rights over its sovereign territory” and flags “unanswered questions regarding the security of the route, especially assurances that the route will not be used to facilitate military transportation or arms sales between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which would undermine Armenia’s security interests.” The Caucus also expressed concern over “Azerbaijan’s solicitation of foreign investment to engage in the demolition, reconstruction and redevelopment of formerly Armenian-populated areas,” calling for State and Commerce Department reporting on whether U.S.-based entities operating in Azerbaijan have “materially aided Azerbaijan’s ongoing human rights violations.”
The ANCA mobilized Armenian Americans nationwide through its action alert at anca.org/aid to contact their Representatives ahead of the co-signature deadline. Armenian Americans can continue to engage their Representatives and track legislative developments at anca.org.
The full letter is available at:
https://anca.org/assets/pdf/
