U.S. Rules Committee to consider following 13 key amendments in Fiscal Year 2024

ArmInfo. The Rules Committee is set to consider the following 13 key amendments in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act this week (Tuesday at Noon).  Given Azerbaijan's ongoing blockade and the humanitarian crisis it has created, it is critically important to have strong bipartisan support for these amendments. Now is the time to make sure our voices are heard to help the Armenian people. For more information on the amendments please click on the links below:

An amendment offered by Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA) directing the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State to create a report on US parts and technology discovered in Turkish Bayraktar drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan's use of prohibited munitions against Nagorno-Karabakh and Turkey and Azerbaijan's recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters to participate in military operations against Nagorno Karabakh.

An amendment offered by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) requiring a report into the applicability of sanctions under existing statute (Magnitsky Act) to designate Azerbaijani government and military officials complicit in the perpetration of human rights abuses during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and in relation to the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

An amendment offered by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) requiring a report on the humanitarian impact of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

A bipartisan amendment offered by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) directing the State Department, in coordination with the Defense Department, to report to Congress on their rationale for waiving section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, a provision of current law that prohibits U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan. The amendment would also express the sense of Congress that the waiver of section 907 has emboldened Azerbaijan to violate human rights and international law with impunity.

An amendment offered by Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) requiring a report on the energy partnerships Azerbaijan has had with Russian and Iranian companies under international sanctions.

An amendment offered by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) prohibiting DOD, State, and Commerce from authorizing new export licenses for offensive weapons for Azerbaijan, until Azerbaijan ceases the offensive use of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

An amendment offered by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) expressing the sense of Congress regarding Armenian POWs being held by Azerbaijan.

An amendment offered by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) expressing the sense of Congress that any lasting peace in the South Caucasus must ensure that the inalienable right to self-determination of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh is upheld.

An amendment offered by Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ) requiring the Secretary of State to report on if U.S.  assistance to Azerbaijan is being used to undermine the status of ongoing peace negotiations with Armenia.

An amendment offered by Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ) requiring the Secretary of State to provide the relevant Congressional Committees updates on the status of freedom of movement in the Lachin Corridor.

A bipartisan amendment offered by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Re. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) prohibiting military assistance to Azerbaijan.

A bipartisan amendment offered by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) on the sense of Congress on potential human rights violations in Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan.

An amendment offered by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) requiring the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to submit a report concerning the end-use monitoring of Turkish F-16s to Azerbaijan during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.