As Members of Congress headed to their districts this week, momentum continued to build for H. Res. 252, the Armenian Genocide Resolution with the additions of Representatives Michael Doyle, Peter King, Timothy Bishop, Tim Ryan and Robert Brady as cosponsors of the bill, the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) reported.
According to AAA, along with the new cosponsors, last week, Armenian Assembly Board Member Annie Totah was on Capitol Hill speaking with Members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the importance of the Armenian Genocide Resolution and the need to squarely confront genocide denial.
“We are all working hard to secure passage of H.Res. 252 in this Congress. Each day, new Members join the fight for recognition and momentum grows. The Armenian Assembly has played a vital role in advocating for passage and winning new supporters to the cause,” said Resolution sponsor Adam Schiff.
In addition to Totah, Executive Director Bryan Ardouny and Grassroots Director Taniel Koushakjian led the Assembly’s efforts with the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC) for the CEEC’s September Advocacy Day, of which the Armenian Genocide resolution was among the priority issues on the agenda. The CEEC, comprised of 18 national organizations representing more than 20 million Americans, conducted scores of meetings in the House and Senate last week, AAA statement reads.
“Building a broad coalition of support is critically important as we look for opportunities to bring the Resolution to the floor for a vote,” Congresswoman Jackie Speier noted.
“I want to thank the Armenian Assembly for its decades of work with respect to genocide affirmation. Their work to help build a coalition of supporters has brought us closer to seeing the U.S. Congress officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. I look forward to continuing our shared goal of bringing the resolution to a successful vote and recognize the work the Assembly is doing to help bring us there,” stated Frank Pallone, Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Congressman.
