WASHINGTON, DC — The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomes a renewed Congressional effort – spearheaded by Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and other Democratic members of the Armenian Caucus – to reverse “harmful cuts” to U.S. foreign aid to Armenia included in the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget.
“Congressional leadership is essential in rolling back the President’s proposed deep cuts in U.S. aid to Armenia,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Attempts to slash aid to Armenia need to be met with strong bipartisan opposition and a renewed focus on empowering Armenia’s aid-to-trade transition, including the negotiation of a badly needed U.S.-Armenia Double Tax Treaty and establishment of direct Los Angeles to Yerevan commercial and cargo flights.”
In a June 6th letter to Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY), the leaders of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, over 25 U.S. Representatives raised alarms about President Trump’s call for a 67% cut to U.S. foreign aid to Armenia (reducing overall aid from $20.4 million in FY16 to $6.8 million in FY18), urging the restoration of aid levels for both Armenia and Artsakh.
Among the priorities that would suffer from the President’s proposed cuts is American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA), a USAID program that has provided substantial aid to both the American University of Armenia and the Armenian-American Wellness Center.
“At a time of tremendous global uncertainty, the U.S. should continue to foster the progress of its allies, not retreat from its responsibilities as the world’s leading democracy,” stated the Congressional letter. The full text of the letter is provided below.
Joining Representatives Anna Eshoo, Frank Pallone, Jackie Speier, and Adam Schiff in cosigning the letter were: Representatives Michael Capuano (D-MA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ruben Kihuen (D-NV), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), and Tim Walz (D-MN).
In an earlier March 30th letter to Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey, a bipartisan group of more than two dozen U.S. Representatives underscored the importance of “the U.S.-Armenia partnership, a relationship founded upon a shared commitment to faith, freedom, and democratic values.” They stressed that “U.S. assistance has empowered progress in the areas of democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression, and free enterprise.”
Among the specific priorities cited in that Congressional Armenian Caucus-led letter were:
— U.S. support for Armenia as a regional safe haven for Middle East refugees, in the form of a $40 million appropriation to support transitional programs, including short-term housing/rental assistance and social and economic integration initiatives.
— A renewed focus on aid to Artsakh, with an appropriation of at least $8 million for de-mining, rehabilitation programs (such as the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Center), and water supply systems.
— A focused effort to check Azerbaijani aggression, through the appropriation of at least $20 million to support implementation of the Royce-Engel peace proposals, the suspension of U.S. military aid to Baku, and the strengthening of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act.
— An appropriation of at least $40 million in economic aid to Armenia, and no less than $11 million in military aid, with a focus on advancing U.S.-Armenia defense cooperation goals, promoting NATO interoperability, and supporting increased Armenia’s participation in global peacekeeping operations.
Thousands of Armenian American community advocates from across the U.S. have urged lawmakers to include these items in their annual foreign aid budget priorities, using the ANCA’s action alert portal – anca.org/aid.
On March 16th, Representatives Schiff and Pallone delivered powerful testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, echoing the priorities shared in the Congressional Armenian Caucus letter.
The House and Senate foreign aid subcommittees are currently drafting their versions of the FY18 State-Foreign Operations bill. Once adopted by each chamber, they will aim to reconcile these two versions and send a final appropriation to the President for his signature.