Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]
OVER 200 HOUSE AND SENATE MEMBERS URGE PRESIDENT BUSH TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE GENOCIDE
Washington, DC – Just days before Armenians prepare to commemorate the
90th anniversary of the start of the Genocide on April 24, more than
200 House and Senate Members are urging President Bush to properly
acknowledge the attempted annihilation of the Armenia people.
Lawmakers in both chambers sent letters to President Bush that were
initiated by Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairs Joe
Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Senators Jon
Corzine (D-NJ) and John Ensign (R-NV) respectively.
The House letter collected 178 signatures, exceeding the total number
of supporters on last year’s letter by nine. Similarly, the Senate
letter garnered 10 more supporters than the previous year for a total
of 32 signatures.
“We thank Congressmen Pallone and Knollenberg as well as Senators
Corzine and Ensign for their spirited leadership in rallying
congressional support for the reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide,”
said Assembly Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian.
“This was a community-wide effort which garnered a record number of
supporters from both sides of the political aisle,” said Board of
Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian. “That same bipartisan spirit
was also demonstrated by yesterday’s Capitol Hill Commemoration of the
Armenian Genocide organized under the auspices of the Armenian Caucus
Co-Chairs. Our community is energized and united in our efforts to
seek full and irrevocable U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide.”
The Capitol Hill observance was held in conjunction with the Assembly
and two dozen other Armenian-American organizations.
In his commemorative statement last year, President Bush did not
use the term “Armenian Genocide,” and instead offered the textbook
definition of this crime against humanity.
“On this day, we pause in remembrance of one of the most horrible
tragedies of the 20th century, the annihilation of as many as 1.5
million Armenians through forced exile and murder at the end of the
Ottoman Empire,” the President said in part.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
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NR#2005-043
Editor’s Note: The complete list of U.S. Senators and Representatives
who have signed their names to the congressional letters is provided
below.
Co-signers to the Senate letter:
Sen. George Allen (R-VA) Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) Sen. Barbara Boxer
(D-CA) Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) Sen. Jon Corzine
(D-NJ) Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) Sen. Russ Feingold
(D-WI) Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT)
Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) Sen. John Kerry
(D-MA) Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) Sen. Joseph
Lieberman (D-CT) Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) Sen. Chuck Schumer
(D-NY) Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Sen. John
Sununu (R-NH)
Co-signers to the House letter:
Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) Rep. Thomas
Allen (D-ME) Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) Rep. Brian
Baird (D-WA) Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH)
Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-CO) Rep. Xavier
Becerra (D-CA) Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA)
Rep. Mike Bilirakis (R-FL) Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) Rep. Tim Bishop
(D-NY) Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-NH) Rep. Sherrod Brown
(D-OH) Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) Rep. Michael
Capuano (D-MA) Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD) Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) Rep. Jim Costa
(D-CA) Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL) Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA) Rep. Joseph
Crowley (D-NY) Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) Rep. Danny Davis
(D-IL) Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA) Rep. Peter
DeFazio (D-OR) Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) Rep. John Doolittle
(R-CA) Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) Rep. Vernon
Ehlers (R-MI) Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL) Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA)
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) Rep. Mike Ferguson
(R-NJ) Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) Rep. Mark
Foley (R-FL) Rep. Vito Fossellla (R-NY) Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) Rep. Jim
Gerlach (R-PA) Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) Rep. Mark Green (R-WI) Rep. Raul
Grijalva (D-AZ) Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA) Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA)
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) Rep. Darrell Issa
(R-CA) Rep. Jesse Jackson (D-IL) Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) Rep. Sue Kelly
(R-NY) Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI) Rep. Carolyn
Kilpatrick (D-MI) Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) Rep. John
Larson (D-CT) Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH) Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) Rep. Dan Lipinski
(D-IL) Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) Rep. Nita
Lowey (D-NY) Rep. Dan Lundgren (R-CA) Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) Rep. Jim Matheson
(D-UT) Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) Rep. Betty
McCollum (D-MN) Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)
Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) Rep. Mike McIntyre
(D-NC) Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY) Rep. Martin
Meehan (D-MA) Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) Rep. Michael Michaud (D-ME)
Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) Rep. George Miller (D-CA) Rep. Gwen Moore
(D-WI) Rep. James Moran (D-VA) Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) Rep. Grace
Napolitano (D-CA) Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
(D-DC) Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) Rep. John Olver (D-MA) Rep. Butch Otter
(R-ID) Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) Rep. Donald
Payne (D-NJ) Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV) Rep. George Radanovich
(R-CA) Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) Rep. Mike
Ross (D-AR) Rep. Steven Rothman (D-NJ) Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard
(D-CA) Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) Rep. Paul Ryan
(R-WI) Rep. John Salazar (D-CO) Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) Rep. Loretta
Sanchez (D-CA) Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT) Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ)
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) Rep. Allyson
Schwartz (D-PA) Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI) Rep. E. Clay Shaw (R-FL)
Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) Rep. John
Shimkus (R-IL) Rep. Rob Simmons (R-CT) Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) Rep. John Sweeney
(R-NY) Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) Rep. Mike
Thompson (D-CA) Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY)
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) Rep. Chris
Van Hollen (D-MD) Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) Rep. Peter Visclosky
(D-IN) Rep. James Walsh (R-NY) Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) Rep. Diane
Watson (D-CA) Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL) Rep. Joe Wilson
(R-SC) Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) Rep. David Wu
(D-OR) Rep. Al Wynn (D-MD)
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