December 1, 2023

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Congress of the United States

Washington, DC 20515

December 1, 2023

The Honorable Mike Johnson,
Speaker of the House
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer,
Senate Majority Leader
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries,
House Minority Leader
H-204, The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Mitch McConnell,
Senate Minority Leader
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader Jeffries, and Minority Leader McConnell,

As Congress considers supplemental funding to enhance the security of our allies, we would like to highlight a vulnerable democracy that warrants American support: the Republic of Armenia.

We strongly support the inclusion of funds in any supplemental appropriations bill to strengthen the U.S.-Armenia security partnership and help address the severe humanitarian challenges caused by Azerbaijan’s recent aggression.

On September 19th, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing 120,000 ethnically Armenian civilians from their homeland and ending their more than three decades of self-rule. The assault was the culmination of a cruel blockade that deprived the region’s population of food, medicine, and other necessities for nearly ten months. Azerbaijan’s aggression has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, with Armenia absorbing tens of thousands of refugees.

Now that Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev has reshaped the region using military force, we fear that he is emboldened to do so again. We are particularly concerned that Azerbaijan will continue its aggression by invading the sovereign territory of Armenia. Ominously, Aliyev recently referred to southern Armenia as “western Azerbaijan” and called for the “liberation” of eight Armenian villages along the Azerbaijani border.

As a small democracy in a region dominated by autocrats, Armenia is particularly vulnerable. This is especially true now that Armenia has distanced itself from Russia, Armenia’s traditional security guarantor, in pursuit of closer ties with western democracies. We believe the U.S. has an important role to play in ensuring Armenia’s security is not jeopardized because of its decision to break away from Putin’s murderous regime.

At this inflection point for the Caucasus, U.S. leadership is needed to deter further Azerbaijani aggression and enable Armenians to defend their democracy. To this end, we respectfully request that at least $10 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Armenia be included in the forthcoming supplemental appropriations package. We are also pleased that the President’s supplemental request includes robust funding for humanitarian aid, and we’re hopeful that a portion of these funds will be made available to Armenia to meet the humanitarian needs of the 120,000 refugees who were recently forced from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of our requests and for your commitment to strengthening American support for vulnerable democracies throughout the world.

Sincerely,

Signed

Anna G. Eshoo

Member of Congress

Alex Padilla

United States Senator

Frank Pallone, Jr.

Member of Congress

Jack Reed

United States Senator

David G. Valadoa

Member of Congress

Gary G. Peters

United States Senator

Adam B. Schiff

Member of Congress

Debbie Stabenow

United States Senator

Eleanor Holmes Norton

Member of Congress

Sherrod Brown

United States Senator

Katie Porter

Member of Congress

John Fetterman

United States Senator

Dan Goldman

Member of Congress

Chris Van Hollen

United States Senator

Nydia M. Velázquez

Member of Congress

Elizabeth Warren

United States Senator

Grace F. Napolitano

Member of Congress

Edward J. Markey

United States Senator

Anna G. Eshoo
Member of Congress

Alex Padilla
United States Senator

Frank Pallone, Jr.
Member of Congress

Jack Reed
United States Senator

David G. Valadao
Member of Congress

Gary C. Peters
United States Senator

Adam B. Schiff
Member of Congress

Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator

Eleanor Holmes Norton
Member of Congress

Sherrod Brown
United States Senator

Katie Porter
Member of Congress

John Fetterman
United States Senator

Dan Goldman
Member of Congress

Chris Van Hollen
United States Senator

Nydia M. Velázquez
Member of Congress

Elizabeth Warren
United States Senator

Grace F. Napolitano
Member of Congress

Edward J. Markey
United States Senator

Sheldon Whitehouse
United States Senator

Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress

Ron Wyden
United States Senator

James P. McGovern
Member of Congress

Paul D. Tonko
Member of Congress

Jimmy Gomez
Member of Congress

Haley M. Stevens
Member of Congress

Lori Trahan
Member of Congress

Jim Costa
Member of Congress

Joaquin Castro
Member of Congress

Joyce Beatty
Member of Congress

Brad Sherman
Member of Congress

Sydney Kamlager-Dove
Member of Congress

David J. Trone
Member of Congress

Ted W. Lieu
Member of Congress

Tony Cárdenas
Member of Congress

John P. Sarbanes
Member of Congress

Andy Kim
Member of Congress

Scott H. Peters
Member of Congress

Michael V. Lawler
Member of Congress

Seth Magaziner
Member of Congress

Susie Lee
Member of Congress

Jamie Raskin
Member of Congress

Raja Krishnamoorthi
Member of Congress

Gabe Amo
Member of Congress

Abigail Davis Spanberger
Member of Congress

Donald S. Beyer Jr.
Member of Congress

Josh Gottheimer
Member of Congress

C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger
Member of Congress

Danny K. Davis
Member of Congress

Grace Meng
Member of Congress

Dina Titus
Member of Congress

Robert J. Menendez
Member of Congress

Rashida Tlaib
Member of Congress

Judy Chu
Member of Congress

Alma S. Adams, Ph.D.
Member of Congress

Deborah K. Ross
Member of Congress

Zoe Lofgren
Member of Congress

Jake Auchincloss
Member of Congress

Madeleine Dean
Member of Congress

Christopher H. Smith
Member of Congress