US Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA), Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, has voiced strong support for reprogramming already appropriated U.S. aid to help Armenia contain the COVID-19 crisis, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported.

During an ANCA – San Francisco/Bay Area tele-townhall meeting with Congresswoman Speier, she responded to a question on repurposing Armenia aid from longtime ANCA leader Roxanne Makasdjian, saying: “The effort to redirect some of the $40 million that I was able to get into the budget for this fiscal year, is something that we will certainly pursue and it makes all the sense in the world, when you are in a pandemic like this, what's the most urgent need? The urgent need is to provide care to those who are sick, to prevent those from getting sick, and certainly to test those who may or may not be exposed.”