Sen. Bernie Sanders Latest to Cosponsor Key Human Rights Legislation; Mayor Buttigieg Fields Armenian Genocide Question at Fresno Town Hall
WASHINGTON—Half of the U.S. Senators and three of the four U.S. Representatives running for president have cosponsored legislation to lock in official U.S. recognition and permanent remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.
With Senator Bernie Sanders’ (D-VT) decision this week to cosponsor S.Res.150, the three top U.S. Senate candidates seeking the presidency are current backers of this human rights measure. The others are Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Two of the three sitting U.S. Senators who have not cosponsored S.Res.150 – Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) – have never backed similar measures. The third, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), is a past supporter of the Armenian Genocide Resolution.
On the House side, Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Tim Ryan (D-OH), are all cosponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.296. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a past supporter, has not cosponsored H.Res.296. Neither of the two former Representatives who are running for the White House – Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) and John Delaney (D-MD) – have ever cosponsored the Armenian Genocide legislation.
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D-DE) championed Armenian Genocide recognition during his decades in the Senate, yet was part of an Obama-Biden Administration that broke its pledge to properly commemorate this crime. The Obama-Biden White House also actively opposed Congressional legislation commemorating this atrocity, while its State Department called the Armenian Genocide a matter for “historical debate,” and its Department of Justice filed a Supreme Court brief against the right of Americans to file pursue Armenian Genocide-era insurance claims.
H.Res.296, spearheaded by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and backed by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), currently has 102 cosponsors, while S.Res.150, its Senate counterpart led by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) has 18 cosponsors. Both aim to establish, as a matter of U.S. policy, 1) the rejection of Armenian Genocide denial, 2) ongoing official U.S. government recognition and remembrance of this crime, and 3) the importance of education about the Armenian Genocide in preventing modern-day atrocities.
Buttigieg: “The United States needs to stand up for human rights”
2020 Presidential candidate and Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg shared his views on U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide responding to a question during a Fresno, California town hall held on June 3.
“To me, the United States needs to stand up for human rights,” stated Mayor Buttigieg, who went on to explain: “And, I think of a historian I studied as a student who said that one of the reasons you need to pay attention to history is that even the dead are not safe from the enemy if he wins. There is a relationship between how we pay attention to history and how we live in the present.”
Buttigieg continued, noting “sometimes something as simple as recognizing the truth – that helps create human rights diplomacy that makes countries want to do the right thing and have to explain themselves if they fail to do the right thing. And that is part of how foreign policy will work on my watch.”
How about recognizing Arsakh as a first priority for Armenians?
Don’t you believe any of them. They are all hypocrites and will be turncoats in good time. We have seen them all in the past. When they are candidates, they go out to attract votes, after they are elected, they start making love with Turkey and forget all their promises, they even avoid the word GENOCIDE and prefer YEGHERN instead!!! Remember good old Obama? Let’s slap these reality on their faces and be sure that they will not feel the pain, because they are all hired people and agents of Turkey and alike.
Has the ANCA asked these candidates and other elected officials to sponsor concrete legislation like cutting off USA aid to Turkey or not selling US military equipment to Turkey instead of just having them support a Armenian Genocide Recognition Resolution every year that will not change the fact of Turkey continuing to deny the Armenian Genocide and its continued occupation of Western Armenia?
We have hundreds of such recognition resolutions from President Reagan to UN groups to other countries where Armenians reside in around the world and the situation on the ground in Turkey has not changed with the passage of these resolutions.
Maybe after all of these years we should approach this issue with more concrete demands from our national government in its on-going political/economic/military relations with Turkey.
No more games! American Armenians should not trust any so called supporter of the Armenian Genocide “President Candidate” this is beyond a Joke they know that by using our tragedy will win them votes, that’s it nothing more. Also a small point to be made, the Armenian Genocide has already been recognised by previous presidents, it is now a legal matter!
This is probably another promise being made by a candidate running for president. Just like the past 2-3 presidents. They get our votes and we get an EMPTY PROMISE!! I will believe it when I see it happen!!
Thank you to Asbarez for this fair and balanced article , based on facts. As far as Sanders and Buttigieg endorsing the Armenian Genocide , don’t hold your breath , once they get into the White House they will renege on their promise, we have seen that before , so many times it is pathetic
Which Presidential Candidate prior election did not promise to stand behind the Armenian Genocide Resolution, and after the election, they said: ” I can’t do it.”
The state department will never recognize the Armenian genocide as genocide. There are 3 countries in this world which are pro Turkish,
the USA , England and Israel will never recognize as genocide.
When Pete Buttigieg speaks I want to listen. He enlightens. Inspires. Pete knows how to make things clear. He has passion and logic. He has natural authority, empathy, imagination and vision. All other specifics about him do not matter. These are the qualities that make him the person we need now at this moment in his life – and at this moment in America’s story.
for last 30 years Armenians are leaving Armenia, in 70-120 years they won’t call themselves Armenians. It happened with Armenians that left from Ani to Poland. These guys always promise us candies and give us you know what
This is great! If you listen closely, though, in the video Mayor Pete never addressed the Armenian Genocide AND human rights together. He said the Armenian genocide is important and that human rights is important seperately, and made absolutely no promises :/
for last 30 years Armenians are leaving Armenia, in 70-120 years they won’t call themselves Armenians. It happened with Armenians that left from Ani to Poland. These guys always promise us candies and give us you know what
Genocide recognition is a high priority, but by not doing anything to prevent the exodus from Armenia, we are enabling Russia/Armenia’s government(owned and operated by Russia) to commit the white Genocide.
Spot On Hye! Everyone has a finger in the pot to completely disolve Armenia, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and any thing which is in the best interest of Armenians! How sad it has come to this and I fear without savvy diplomacy from Armenia in the future it will get worse!