WASHINGTON, DC — Senator David Perdue (R-GA) on Thursday blocked a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This is the second time in a week that a member of President Donald Trump’s party halted the measure.
Senator Perdue prevented a bipartisan effort to pass the resolution by unanimous consent, arguing that its passage during a sensitive period “would undermine the administration’s commitment to overcoming real challenges in our bilateral relationship with Turkey”.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Robert Menendez (D-NJ) had requested unanimous consent to pass S.Res.150, and was joined by the lead Republican on the bill, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). Introduced in April, the bill enjoys the bipartisan support of 28 Senators.
“It is amazing to me that the greatest superpower on the face of the earth just can’t speak [the] truth of history,” Menendez said.
Menendez noted that he has pressed for recognition of the atrocity for more than 10 years, and will force more votes on the issue. “I’m not going to relent,” he said.
Joining Menendez in his resolution effort Senator Cruz, described “the Ottoman Empire’s calculated extermination of the Armenians” that “no amount of political double-speak can cover up”.
