As the U.S. Congress continues deliberations over appropriations for the remaining months of Fiscal Year 2011, President Barack Obama today announced his proposed Fiscal Year 2012 budget numbers, which included a call for $40 million in aid to Armenia and a pro-Baku tilt in U.S. military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.)

While President Obama`s FY 2012 economic assistance request of $40 million for Armenia is the same as his previous request in FY 2011, he cut all Global Health and Child Survival assistance to Armenia, which had been traditionally set at $400,000.  Azerbaijan`s economic assistance request took a sharper hit - cut 25% from $22.12 million to $16.6 million, with their Global Health and Child Survival assistance also reduced to zero. In terms of military assistance, the President asked for $3.45 million in combined Foreign Military Finance Assistance and International Military Education and Training (IMET) assistance for Armenia -- $450,000 less than his request for Azerbaijan.