WASHINGTON, D.C. — Over 100 members of Congress — 26 senators and 75 representatives — have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to withhold U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan, citing Baku’s sentencing of unlawfully detained Armenian prisoners, destruction of Armenian Christian heritage and continued military occupation of sovereign Armenian territory.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)-backed bicameral, bipartisan letter was led by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and garnered support from Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and a number of Senate and House committee and subcommittee leaders. The letter responds to the Trump administration’s decision to extend the waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, reauthorizing U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan. President Trump first waived Section 907 in August 2025, following a White House summit with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and notified Congress in July 2026 of his intention to extend that waiver.
“The U.S. Congress has spoken — on a bipartisan, bicameral basis. In the wake of the overwhelming 44-7 House Foreign Affairs Committee vote demanding Azerbaijan release Armenian hostages, over 100 legislators from more than 25 states today called on the Trump administration to enforce Section 907 and stop U.S. arms and aid to oil-rich Azerbaijan,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “The corrupt and genocidal Aliyev regime neither needs nor deserves American generosity – especially when so many Americans are facing economic hardship here at home.”
Hamparian continued, “President Trump’s waiver of the Section 907 statutory restrictions on U.S. arms and aid to Baku sets back the cause of peace, emboldening Ilham Aliyev to double down on his abuse of Armenian hostages, destruction of Christian churches, occupation of Armenian territory and refusal to allow the safe, collective and protected return of refugees to their indigenous Artsakh homeland. Armenian and allied Americans extend our thanks to Sen. Peters and to all those — starting with Sen. Schiff and Representatives Bilirakis and Pallone — who joined with him in leading this pro-accountability initiative.”
In February 2026, Azerbaijan sentenced 16 Armenian detainees — political and military leaders of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) held since Azerbaijan’s 2023 assault — to terms ranging from 15 years to life. International human rights organizations, legal experts and the European Parliament widely condemned the proceedings as a miscarriage of justice. Armenian detainees have been subjected to torture and abuse in custody and denied fundamental legal rights. In September 2025, Azerbaijan expelled the International Committee of the Red Cross, the only organization authorized to visit the prisoners. June 23, 2026, marked the 1,000th day of their unlawful detention.
“It is clear that the decision to waive Section 907 has not induced Azerbaijan’s engagement on ensuring the release of POWs,” stated the lawmakers in their letter to Secretary Rubio. “As a result, we are concerned that Azerbaijan’s inconsistent behavior jeopardizes the prospect of a just and long-lasting peace in the region — and that the continued waiver of Section 907 without a commitment to addressing these concerns will only further encourage destabilizing actions.”
In the Oct. 5 letter, lawmakers also cite the destruction of Armenian churches in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the reported demolition in April 2026 of two cathedrals in Nagorno-Karabakh capital, Stepanakert, and Azerbaijan’s entrenched military presence on an estimated 241 square kilometers of internationally recognized Armenian territory following illegal incursions in 2021 and 2022. They note that Armenia returned four Azerbaijani enclave villages in May 2024, while Baku has not matched that step with a withdrawal of its own forces.
Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act prohibits U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan until it has taken demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Congress granted the president annual waiver authority in 2002. That waiver was exercised every year until President Biden enforced the restriction in 2024, following the genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and sustained bipartisan pressure, including the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Armenian Protection Act (S. 3000), co-led by then-Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Gary Peters.
The signatories urge the administration to withhold U.S. military assistance unless Azerbaijan takes meaningful steps to release the Armenian prisoners, protect Armenian cultural heritage from further destruction and withdraw its forces from sovereign Armenian territory.
Joining Sens. Peters and Schiff as signatories of the letter are Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (MD), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Michael Bennet (CO), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Cory Booker (NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), Tammy Duckworth (IL), Dick Durbin (IL), John Fetterman (PA), Ruben Gallego (AZ), Tim Kaine (VA), Andy Kim (NJ), Ed Markey (MA), Alex Padilla (CA), Jack Reed (RI), Jacky Rosen (NV), Bernie Sanders (VT), Elissa Slotkin (MI), Chris Van Hollen (MD), Raphael Warnock (GA), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Peter Welch (VT).
Joining Reps. Bilirakis and Pallone as signatories of the letter are Reps. Gabe Amo (RI-1), Jake Auchincloss (MA-4), Wesley Bell (MO-1), Don Beyer (VA-8), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Mike Carey (OH-15), Andre Carson (IN-7), Greg Casar (TX-35), Judy Chu (CA-28), Jim Costa (CA-21), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Debbie Dingell (MI-6), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7), Vince Fong (CA-20), Valerie Foushee (NC-4), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Jesus Garcia (IL-4), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Laura Gillen (NY-4), Carlos Gimenez (FL-28), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Steven Horsford (NV-4), Jonathan Jackson (IL-1), Hank Johnson (GA-4), Young Kim (CA-40), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-8), John Larson (CT-1), George Latimer (NY-16), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Susie Lee (NV-3), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-8), Seth Magaziner (RI-2), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Sarah McBride (DE-0), James McGovern (MA-2), Rob Menendez (NJ-8), Grace Meng (NY-6), Dave Min (CA-47), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Chris Pappas (NH-1), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Chellie Pingree (ME-1), Mike Quigley (IL-5), Delia Ramirez (IL-3), Jamie Raskin (MD-8), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Janice Schakowsky (IL-9), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), David Taylor (OH-2), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Dina Titus (NV-1), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Lori Trahan (MA-3), David Valadao (CA-22), Nydia Velazquez (NY-7), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and George Whitesides (CA-27).
Yes and pigs will fly.
The Turks have Incirlik, which is the Americans’ primary attack base against Russia.
The Turks also give the Americans and the Israelis space to attack Iran from Azerbaijan.
The Turks know that the Americans aren’t going to lift a finger against them.
Still, waffling and quaffling in front of Congress gives ANCA something to do, I suppose.
To defeat the Turks, you must first understand the Turks.
The current administration isn’t going to stop military aid to Azerbaijan. That would require many more Senators and Representatives to press the administration. 101 is not going to be enough.
I noticed that the vast majority of the members of Congress who signed this letter are Democrats. If they secure a majority in both chambers following next month’s midterm elections, will they enact binding legislation and sanctions against Azerbaijan? I doubt it. Neither political party passed a binding law, let alone sanctions, against Azerbaijan when they secured control of both chambers of the legislature in past elections for the past three decades since the Freedom Support Act was passed in 1992; nor do I have much expectation that they will take such a step in the near future, given the entrenched Machiavellian foreign policy interests and counter-lobbying activities at play.
Incirlik is more linked to the south Caucasus, black sea and middle east, for the USA the eastern European countries and the Baltic countries are more important to confront Russia than incirlik. Needless to say the democrat party is more sympathetic to Armenia than the republican party.
President Trump should increase military aid to Armenia to such a level that Azerbaijan would withdraw.
It is wishful thinking to expect meaningful military aid or financial aid for Armenia from a transactional country like the United States. The emphasis here is on the word “transactional”. The United States will evaluate whether the country in question serves its national self-interest, security and economy. And it is total wishful thinking to expect aid from a very transactional guy like Trump. He approaches international relations from a commercial perspective, evaluating countries based on whether they offer profitable business opportunities for himself and the United States. In his view, Armenia does not represent a “strategic”, “profitable” or “lucrative” country for either himself and the United States. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan and Turkey “rank” higher than Armenia in strategic interests and “profitability” for Trump and the United States.
Trump is transactional.
He’d expect something in return and Armenia does not have a gilt edged 747 jumbo jet aeroplane to give to him.
Despite Armenia distancing from Russia, Azerbaijan is very ‘”in” with Israel and with Trump the most pro Israel and transactional/corrupt president the USA has had. It would be rather naive to expect the USA to support Armenia overtly. Especially when Armenia is of limited strategic value and not formally an ally although there’s a partnership agreement upheld by the Trump administration from the more sympathetic Biden administration. Just as Russia has shown itself to be a disappointment and highly cynical in it’s relationship capitalising on the animosity between Armenia and Azerbaijan to manipulate both and keep the conflict festering and seeking to use weakness and vulnerability as the primary means of influence and leverage. This epiphany from Russia and post Soviet infantilism shouldn’t lead to being beguiled by the American dream.