WASHINGTON, DC —The Armenian Council of America (ACA) urges you to contact your U.S. Representative to support vital pro-Armenia amendments to the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA – H.R.8070).
These amendments aim to stop U.S. military assistance and export licenses to Azerbaijan, investigate Azerbaijan’s role in sanctions evasion, and bolster U.S. support for Armenia’s sovereignty and security.
Additionally, ACA supports amendments addressing U.S.-Turkey relations, which aim to ensure oversight and transparency of U.S. arms sales to Turkey and investigate Turkey’s destabilizing actions in the region.
The ACA-backed NDAA amendments are:
— Amendment 396: Introduced by Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), this amendment would temporarily repeal the waiver that allows the U.S. to provide military assistance and aid to Azerbaijan amid its ongoing aggression against Armenians.
— Amendment 568: Introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), this amendment calls for the immediate return of all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians by Azerbaijan.
— Amendment 570: Also introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), this amendment prohibits new export licenses for offensive security equipment to Azerbaijan.
— Amendment 1048: Introduced by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), this amendment directs the Defense Department to develop a strategy to strengthen U.S.-Armenia security cooperation and deter further Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia.
— Amendment 1110: Introduced by Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), this amendment commissions a report on Azerbaijan’s energy partnerships with Russian and Iranian companies under international sanctions.
— Amendment 120: Introduced by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH), this amendment requires a report on the impact of sanctions against Turkey for its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, the threat it poses to U.S. national security, and Turkey’s interoperability with NATO.
— Amendment 122: Also introduced by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH), this amendment mandates a USGAO review of the DoD and State Department’s plans for repositioning sensitive U.S. data and weapons in Turkey, including nuclear weapons and F-35 program information.
— Amendment 313: Introduced by Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), this amendment calls for a report on whether Turkey is in material breach of the North Atlantic Treaty.
— Amendment 744: Introduced by Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), this amendment would prohibit security assistance to any country that has used military force against medical facilities, the U.N., refugee camps, aid workers, or journalists, committed or aided in forcible transfers, or impeded humanitarian aid in the past 10 years.
The House Rules Committee will review these amendments as early as the week of June 10, 2024. The full House will then vote on the approved amendments, either individually or as groups of “en bloc” amendments. Amendments with strong bipartisan backing are most likely to be considered.
Call your U.S. Representative today at (202) 224-3121.
More information on 2025 National Defense Authorization Act Amendments, including list of cosponsors, can be found here.
