In an unusual show of bipartisan agreement, the Senate unanimously voted 100-0 to suspend aid to Azerbaijan for the next two years due to fears that the country may soon invade Armenia.
All senators approved the Armenian Protection Act through unanimous consent, a measure introduced by Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
This decision comes in the wake of over 100,000 Armenians fleeing the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has been under an Azerbaijani siege for more than nine months. Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing.
“We need to send a strong message and demonstrate to our global partners that the U.S. will uphold the conditions tied to military aid,” said Peters, a member of the Armed Services Committee, on the Senate floor. “If we fail to act when countries blatantly disregard our agreements, those agreements will lose their significance and effectiveness.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had previously urged Armenia to establish a “corridor” along its southern border to connect mainland Azerbaijan with an exclave bordering Turkey and Iran, threatening to resolve the matter “by force.”
Meanwhile, Democrats are grappling with internal tensions after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer allowed a government funding bill crafted by Republicans to pass.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the legislation and its supporters in a post on X, without naming Schumer directly.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have presented Congress with a false choice between a government shutdown or a blank check that undermines the well-being of working families across America,” she stated.
“Let’s be clear: neither option is good for the American people. This false choice that some are accepting instead of fighting is unacceptable,” she added.
“I commend Leader Hakeem Jeffries for his brave rejection of this false choice, and I am proud of my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus for their overwhelming opposition to this bill,” Pelosi continued, subtly criticizing those who supported it.
“Democratic senators should heed the voices of women. Appropriations leaders Rosa DeLauro and Patty Murray have compellingly argued for a better alternative: a four-week funding extension to keep the government running while negotiating a bipartisan agreement,” she said.
“America has faced a Trump shutdown before, and this harmful legislation only exacerbates the situation. Democrats must not succumb to this false choice. We need to fight for a better solution. Listen to the women, For The People,” Pelosi concluded.
Her remarks followed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ refusal to comment on whether Schumer should remain as Senate leader when asked by a reporter.
“Is it time for new leadership in the Senate?” the reporter inquired.
Jeffries dismissively responded, “Next question.”
Former Obama administration official Van Jones expressed on CNN that he has never witnessed such anger directed at a fellow Democrat before.
“We can be grumpy and frustrated with each other, but there’s a volcanic eruption of outrage at Leader Schumer because we want someone who can stand up to this bully. I remember when Obama had all the power, and Mitch McConnell drove him crazy, yet he managed to achieve significant victories for Republicans when they shouldn’t have gained anything,” Jones said.
“We have a Senate majority leader who is well-liked in this party, but we need someone who will confront this bully. If the government shuts down and things get chaotic, at least some politics is about rationality. There’s an emotional need to prevent Donald Trump and Elon Musk from overpowering this party. I believe Chuck Schumer has fundamentally misjudged the situation,” Jones added, ignoring the fact that Democrats have previously criticized Republicans for attempting to shut down the government.
New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also expressed her frustration with Schumer during an interview with CNN host Jake Tapper on Thursday.
“He is going to vote to allow a simple majority vote,” Tapper said. “Do you think that’s wrong?”
“I believe that’s a tremendous mistake,” Ocasio-Cortez replied. “It’s almost unfathomable why Senate Democrats would willingly give away our limited leverage when we were sent here to protect Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.”
