— Bilirakis-Pallone Bill Aims to Block U.S. Aid to Baku, Free Armenian Hostages, Protect Armenia’s Sovereignty, Return Artsakh Refugees
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is rallying behind the ARMENIA Security Partnership Act – bipartisan legislation spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), that would prohibit the president from waiving Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan unless the Aliyev regime takes concrete steps toward a lasting peace with Armenia.
“The ARMENIA Security Partnership Act represents a common-sense approach to both checking Azerbaijani aggression and strengthening America’s partnership with Armenia,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “This bipartisan legislation grounds U.S. policy in concrete benchmarks for peace – the release of Armenian prisoners, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from occupied Armenian land, and the protection of Armenian cultural heritage. We need to stop incentivizing continued Azerbaijani hostility, by normalizing its genocide of Artsakh and ongoing violations of international law, and start holding its Aliyev regime accountable for its crimes.”
“Armenia is a key partner in a volatile region and deserves meaningful support as it faces continued threats to its sovereignty and security,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “This legislation sends a clear message that the United States will not turn a blind eye to aggression, human rights abuses, or the forced displacement of ethnic Armenians. Accountability must be at the center of our foreign policy.”
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“For far too long, Azerbaijan has been allowed to act with impunity to destabilize the South Caucasus, commit horrific human rights abuses, and threaten the Armenian people,” stated Congressman Pallone. “Our bill is a great step in the right direction to finally hold the Aliyev regime accountable for ongoing crimes against humanity and threats to lasting peace in the region. I look forward to working with Congressman Bilirakis and the rest of my colleagues to pass it into law.”
Pro-Armenia and South Caucasus peace advocates can contact their Representatives through the ANCA’s online action portal – https://anca.org/ArmeniaAct – to urge support for the ARMENIA Security Partnership Act.
The ARMENIA Security Partnership Act – Advancing Readiness, Military Exchange, and National Integration with Armenia – would require the Secretary of Defense to certify that Azerbaijan has upheld its commitments under the Joint Declaration, completely withdrawn all military forces from sovereign Armenian territory, unconditionally released all Armenian prisoners, ceased engaging in hostilities toward Armenia, and recognized a right of return for ethnic Armenians to their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh while committing to the preservation of Armenian cultural and religious sites.
If the Secretary of Defense cannot make this certification, the legislation would trigger an immediate review of U.S. security assistance to Armenia to assess gaps in Armenia’s deterrence and self-defense capabilities, a comprehensive report on the scale and nature of threats facing Armenia and recommendations for strengthening Armenia’s long-term defense needs, and a prohibition on presidential waivers of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan. The mandated review would evaluate current U.S. security cooperation programs with Armenia – including Foreign Military Financing and International Military Education and Training – and identify immediate steps the Department of Defense should take to enhance security assistance and address shortfalls in Armenia’s ability to deter aggression.
Joining Representatives Bilirakis and Pallone as original cosponsors of the legislation are fellow Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Brad Sherman (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA), and Representatives Gabe Amo (D-RI), Dave Min (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Chris Smith (R-NJ), with additional bipartisan support expected in the coming days and weeks.
Congressman Valadao concurred, noting, “As co-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Armenia Security Partnership Act. Azerbaijan’s aggression in the South Caucasus has gone on for far too long, and this bipartisan bill takes meaningful steps to hold them accountable for ongoing human rights abuses and hostilities against the sovereign territory of Armenia.”
These efforts gained momentum after President Trump waived Section 907 in August 2025 following the U.S.-brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement at the White House – a decision the ANCA sharply criticized as stripping away a key point of U.S. leverage to hold Baku accountable for violations of the agreement.
Defending Section 907: Conditioning Future U.S. Aid on Azerbaijani Accountability
The ARMENIA Security Partnership Act builds on sustained ANCA advocacy to defend Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan and condition future assistance on key criteria, including the return of Armenian refugees to Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s release of all Armenian hostages, stopping renewed attacks and preventing the loss of Syunik, holding Aliyev and Erdogan accountable for war crimes, and stopping Azerbaijan’s destruction of Armenian Christian and cultural heritage in Artsakh and throughout Azerbaijan.
In March 2025, sixty U.S. Representatives called on Secretary Rubio to fully enforce Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act – demanding an immediate end to U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan, citing Baku’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s 120,000 indigenous Armenian Christian population, continued occupation of sovereign Armenian territory, and illegal detention and abuse of Armenian prisoners. In the ANCA-backed letter, led by Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Gabe Amo (D-RI), Representatives urged the Administration not to waive Section 907, stressing that “having faced no material consequences or accountability for its actions, Azerbaijan continues to undermine efforts to ensure a just, durable, and dignified peace in the region through its ongoing aggression against Armenia.”
In May 2025, during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing where Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified, Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) called on the Trump Administration to enforce Section 907 restrictions on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan and secure the immediate release of Armenian hostages.
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) urged U.S. support for Armenia and called for an end to U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, stating: “We’ve tried to get Republican and Democratic administrations to forego the waiver on Section 907 on military aid to Azerbaijan. Finally, last year, the Biden Administration rightfully refused to issue the waiver. I think it should be permanent.”
Secretary Rubio replied, “We have not made a determination on that yet because what we are focused on now is getting them to agree to a peace agreement that does not cause them to invade a neighboring country, Armenia,” calling an Azerbaijan-Armenia war, “destructive, counterproductive, and the last thing we need right now in the region.”
In September 2025, the House Foreign Affairs Committee debated an amendment offered by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), which would have repealed the presidential waiver authority of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, restoring Congress’s prohibition on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan. “Section 907 was waived by administration after administration, no matter what the Azerbaijani dictatorship did. And, it’s time for Congress to recognize that,” Rep. Sherman stated. He went on to note, “we’ve seen an ethnic cleansing, a cultural genocide, and now, the destruction of the churches while hostages are still being held. I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment.” Although the amendment was narrowly defeated by a 26 to 24 vote, it received unprecedented unanimous support from committee Democrats. Republican Reps. Michael Lawler (R-NY) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) broke with Republican party-line opposition to the amendment, maintaining their longstanding commitment to enforcing prohibitions on U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan.
Why U.S. Assistance to Azerbaijan Must Be Conditioned
U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan would reward and encourage further aggression by the Aliyev regime, which carried out a blockade and military assault that forcibly displaced the entire population of Artsakh, illegally detains over 80 Armenian POWs, hostages, and former Artsakh leaders in Baku, actively engages in the destruction of Armenian churches, cemeteries, and cultural heritage sites across occupied Artsakh, and refuses to recognize the sovereignty of Armenia while continuing to violate its borders.
Rather than enabling further violence and cultural erasure, the U.S. must fully enforce Section 907, halt all military aid to Azerbaijan, and hold the Aliyev regime accountable for its crimes.
The text of the bill is available at: https://anca.org/assets/pdf/121825_ArmeniaSecurityPartnershipAct_Text.pdf
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Photo Caption: The ANCA is backing the ANCA backs the ARMENIA Security Partnership Act to enforce Azerbaijani accountability, protect Armenia’s sovereignty, and advance a just and lasting peace in the South Caucasus.