For over two decades, I have served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where I have fought to strengthen ties between the United States and Armenia

As a member of the Congressional Armenian Caucus for the past 25 years, I have strongly advocated for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, accountablity for Azerbaijan and Turkey, recognition of Artsakh, and increased aid for the Armenian people

Below are some of the recent issues I have been working on in Congress in order to strengthen the U.S.-Armenia relationship

Sherman Awarded State Order of the Republic of Armenia

On the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Republic of Armenia, myself, Speaker Pelosi, and other members of Congress were awarded the State Order of the Republic of Armenia for our roles in strengthening ties between the two countries.

It was awarded to us by the decree of then- Armenian President Armen Sarkissian.

I was honored to receive Armenia’s State Order medal from Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Lilit Makunts and President of the Armenian National Assembly Alen Simonyan.

President Biden Recognizes the Armenian Genocide

Since first arriving to Congress in 1997 I have urged both Democratic and Republican Presidents alike to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide.

I have consistently joined my colleagues in Congress every year until its recognition, in introducing resolutions calling for formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

I have always made clear that we need to learn from the past so history does not repeat itself, because genocide denial is both the last step of a genocide and the first step in the next genocide.

Our most successful effort came when I joined with Rep. Adam Schiff and others in introducing a resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide, H.Res.296- Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide.

The resolution passed the House by a vote of 405-11, with 226 Democrats and 176 Republicans having voted in favor, finally recognizing the genocide in the US Congress.

On the 106th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, President Joe Biden became the first U.S. President to formally recognize the systematic murder of approximately 1.5 million Armenian women, men, and children by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, as a genocide.

A long overdue, yet historic and positive step, the United States should now continue to strengthen its relationship with Armenia and increase support for the Armenian people.

Commemorating the February 1988 Sumgait Pogroms

I stand in solidarity with the Armenian American community in commemorating the February 1988 Sumgait Pogroms. In the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait, Azerbaijani mobs targeted and assaulted peaceful Armenian residents on the basis of their ethnicity and committed unspeakable crimes.

The violence left hundreds of Armenian civilians dead and injured, women and girls were raped, some victims were burned alive, and thousands were forced to flee their homes.

This tragic anti-Armenian massacre helped touch off a wave of anti-Armenian violence that spread to Kirovabad in November 1988 and to Baku in January 1990, which culminated in the forcible expulsion of 390,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and the 1991-94 war over Artsakh.

This stark reminder remains evident today as the government of Azerbaijan continues its state-sponsored policy of aggression against Armenia and Artsakh.

The world witnessed the consequences of Azerbaijan’s unchecked hatred against Armenians during the invasion of Artsakh in 2020 as Azeri forces committed horrendous war crimes against Armenian civilians, including women and the elderly, and illegally imprisoned Armenian POWs after the cessation of hostilities.

Many POWs are still held by Azerbaijan. As we honor their memory, we continue to call for the safe and unconditional release of all Armenian POWs illegally detained by the Aliyev regime in Azerbaijan.

Assistance for Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk

Since 1997, I have repeatedly endorsed direct U.S. aid to Armenia, Artsakh, and the Javakhk region of Georgia. In fact, I am responsible for the first-ever appropriation providing U.S. assistance to Artsakh.

The people of Artsakh are facing an ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from the unprovoked Azerbaijani and Turkish attack, which led to six weeks of devastating fighting that killed over 5,000 people and forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee their homes.

In the face of this devastation, I called for immediate U.S. assistance to Armenia and Artsakh. Many in Artsakh are still badly in need of housing, food, water, and medical assistance.  

I am working to secure additional U.S. support to the Armenian people, including economic assistance, aid for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and other funding to support democratic governance and the rule of law. 

The recent fighting in Artsakh also reversed much of the progress to clear land mines from the area, and there is a continued need for funding this important effort. When the future of the program was in jeopardy, I led the request to USAID urging the administration to continue U.S. assistance. 

More still needs to be done. The people of Artsakh have the right to self-determination.  In my first year in Congress, I helped lead the first effort ever to provide $12 million in assistance to the people of Artsakh, thereby implicitly recognizing the independence of Artsakh. Now, we need to explicitly recognize Artsakh’s independence.

Standing Up to Azerbaijan

Shockingly, Azerbaijan received over $100 million in U.S. military assistance in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 through an assistance program known as Section 333.

This is unacceptable given Azeri aggression, including Azeri troops recent violation of international law by crossing into Armenian territory.