As the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate wrap up the 117th Congress, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is urging legislative leaders to adopt a $50 million aid package for Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in the end-of-year spending package they are currently considering, reported the ANCA

In a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ), ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian expressed the appreciation of the Armenian American community and coalition partners for his recent hearing on U.S. policy in the Caucasus.

Sen. Menendez was direct throughout the course of the hearing, stating: “It seems to me that the United States is in bed with Azerbaijan.” Chairman Menendez pressed Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried and State Department Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Philip Reeker on circumventing Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan and failing to send assistance to Artsakh Armenians displaced by Azerbaijani and Turkish aggression.

In a letter to Congressional Armenian Caucus founding Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Hamparian stressed, “As you know, the Biden Administration, like the Trump Administration before it, has – under pressure from Azerbaijan – pursued a reckless and irresponsible policy of blocking U.S. humanitarian aid to Artsakh – despite the desperate needs there and the broad, bipartisan support this aid program enjoys in both houses of Congress. Overriding Azerbaijan’s veto against U.S. aid to Artsakh is a top legislative priority for the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and our community and coalition partners.”

In September, Rep. Pallone and Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) led a bi-partisan effort supported by over 45 Members of Congress, calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power to “take immediate steps dedicating significant resources” to support the at-risk Armenian population of Artsakh.