#Senate

NEWS

Sep 8, 2017
2 min

Senate Appropriations Committee Ensures Continued Funding to Artsakh

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Chairman Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations bill, which ensures continued funding to Na

Jan 5, 2017
2 min

Armenian Assembly Welcomes Members as the 115th Congress Convenes

Assembly Executive Directory Bryan Ardouny and Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) Armenian Caucus Vice Co-Chair Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Armenian Assembly Executive Directory Bryan Ardouny WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, as the 115th Congress convened, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Board Member Annie Totah, along with Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, were on the Hill meeting with legislators in both the House and Senate. Ardouny congratulated Arm

Apr 27, 2016
2 min

Turkish Caucus Member Donna Edwards Defeated in Senate Primary

Edwards Campaign Funded by Genocide Denial Groups WASHINGTON, D.C. – Turkish Caucus Member Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD) was defeated in Maryland’s Democratic Senate primary last night by long-time supporter of Armenian issues, Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). According to OpenSecrets.org, Donna Edwards has received thousands of dollars from Turkish PACs, and was supported by the “Ten Thousand Turks PAC” in her ra

Jun 15, 2015
5 min

The Assembly Agenda: This Week in Washington DC: June 2-5, 2015

By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant) AAANews Blog June 2, 2015 Congress returns this week with a full slate, US aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh is under consideration, and Turkish parliamentary elections are slated for June 7. Welcome to the Assembly Agenda, your guide to Armenian American issues in Washington, DC. A lot has happened this year with the Armenian Genocide centennial commemorations taking place around the world. With everything going on, it’s easy to forget

Dec 18, 2014
7 min

The Assembly Agenda: This week in Washington, D.C. – December 18, 2014

By Taniel Koushakjian AAANews Blog Welcome to the last Assembly Agenda of 2014! Below is a full recap of what went down on Capitol Hill when the 113th Congress came to a close this week. While I explain the “Cromnibus,” new ambassadors head to Armenia and Azerbaijan, retiring Congressman Moran looks to line his pockets with Azeri petro-dollars, and Jeb Bush leans in, here’s the Assembly Agenda: your go-to source for Armenian American issues in Washington, DC. HOUSE: Last Frid

Dec 2, 2014
6 min

The Assembly Agenda: This week in Washington, D.C. – December 2, 2014

By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant) AAANews Blog HOUSE: The House returned to Washington on Monday to kick off the last ten legislative days left on the calendar. This gives legislators little time to approve “must-pass” legislation, such as passing a Continuing Resolution, or CR, to avoid a government shutdown before funding is set to expire on Friday, December 12. The CR for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 would fund the government at FY 2013 levels, given the fact that during FY20

Sep 4, 2014
6 min

The Assembly Agenda: This week in Washington, D.C. – September 4, 2014

By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant) AAANews Blog HOUSE: The House is in the last week of the summer recess and will return next Monday, September 8th. Although Congress will only be in session for two weeks before the midterm election, there are many legislative issues left to address, most importantly: funding the government. Although both chambers have adopted fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations bills that cover funding for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, Congress has been

Sep 2, 2014
2 min

Former U.S. Senator James Jeffords of Vermont passes at 80

(Former Sen. Jim Jeffords announced in 2005 that he would not seek a fourth term. | Getty) September 2, 2014 By Taniel Koushakjian AAANews Blog On August 18th, the political world was saddened by the death of former U.S. Senator James Jeffords of Vermont. His death was widely noted as he represented a principled voice in United States national politics for over 30 years before retiring in 2007 because of health problems. Those familiar with modern American politics recall wh

Jul 17, 2014
1 min

Senator John McCain Grills Ambassador Designate to Turkey on Erdogan's Drift to Authoritarianism

On Tuesday, July 15, 2014, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) grilled Ambassador Designate to Turkey, John R. Bass, about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s drift toward authoritarianism during his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/) #JohnBass #Senate #Foreignrelations #JohnMcCain #Turkey

Jun 26, 2014
5 min

The Assembly Agenda: This week in Washington, D.C. – June 26, 2014

By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant) AAANews Blog HOUSE: The House is in session this week with final votes scheduled for Thursday night. Congress will begin their 4th of July recess this Friday and will return on Tuesday, July 8th. – HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE VOTE THIS MORNING: Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to markup H.R. 4347, the Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act, at 9 AM. There has been heavy opposition to this bill, according t

Jun 16, 2014
6 min

The Assembly Agenda: This week in Washington, D.C. – June 16, 2014

By Taniel Koushakjian HOUSE: The House will return on Tuesday, June 17 and has a busy schedule the next two weeks. In addition to Thursday’s House GOP leadership election to replace primary-defeated Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and possibly Majority Whip (more on this below), the summer of appropriations hearings is about to begin. The House Appropriations Subcommittee for State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) has scheduled the bill for Fiscal Year (FY

May 30, 2014
4 min

The Assembly Agenda: This Week in Washington, D.C. – May 30, 2014

By Taniel Koushakjian May 30, 2014 HOUSE: The House was in session on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week but will be out all next week in observance of Memorial Day. The House will return on Monday, June 9. The House Appropriations Committee has not yet scheduled a date to approve the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, which covers U.S. economic, humanitarian and military assistance to Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, an

Nov 14, 2013
10 min

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing Discusses Armenia

(Left: Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT); Right: Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria J. Nuland) WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs held a hearing entitled “A Pivotal Moment for the Eastern Partnership: Outlook for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan.” The majority of the hearing was spent discussing the political situation in Ukraine, and to a lesser degree Moldova, Georg

Nov 11, 2013
2 min

The Assembly Agenda – November 11, 2013

Last time we brought you the Assembly Agenda the U.S. government was 14 days into a partial government shutdown and on the verge of breaking the U.S. debt ceiling, potentially causing the U.S. to default on its credit. As anticipated, at the eleventh hour (literally minutes before midnight) Congress ultimately did not risk the full faith and credit of the United States and finally passed a Continuing Resolution, or CR, funding the government through January 15, and raising th

Oct 15, 2013
2 min

The Assembly Agenda – October 15, 2013

Last time we brought you the Assembly Agenda the U.S. government was on the verge of a shutdown with no solution to keep the government funded in sight between the White House, Senate Democrats and House Republicans. Today is day 14 of the shutdown and, as of this morning, we are no better off now than two weeks ago. The latest talk on Capitol Hill is that House leaders have agreed to drop certain ObamaCare provisions in a proposal that would reopen the government though Janu