The 111th Congress came to a close without a vote on the so-called "Armenian Genocide Resolution" (H.Res. 252).
Last Friday, Turkish Americans were alerted to the possibility of a vote under Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership during the final hours of the 111th Congress. A rapid action alert set-up by the TCA enabled Turkish American constituents and friends of Turkey to voice their opposition to Members of Congress, as well as the Democratic Leadership. The ATAA, FTAA and TCA joint nationwide campaign drew thousands of letters and calls from Turkish Americans. Leading members of theCongressional Caucus on US Turkish Relations and Turkish Americans called attention to the negative consequences of passage of H.Res. 252 on U.S.-Turkish relations and played a major role in the outcome.
“TCA applauds the leadership of the Congressional Turkish Caucus, its membership and above all the Turkish American community that came together as never before. We thank all Turkish American national and local organizations across the country, as well as our friends in the Azerbaijani community, for moving quickly and in unity on this issue. Our combined efforts have added the Turkish American voice, stronger than ever, to this important debate,” said G. Lincoln McCurdy, TCA president. “Speaker Pelosi’s decision not to schedule a vote shows that our efforts are making a difference and has strengthened our joint commitment to defend our heritage, as we continue to search for ways to advance historical truth, reconciliation and peace. We now know that a majority of Congress agrees with President Obama about the importance of the US-Turkey relationship, and expect this wisdom to carry over into the 112th Congress so that we canavoid yet another needless round of bashing our ally Turkey at the expense of our national interests."
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