Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and the ANCA hysteria Armenian lobby in panic

The possibility of repealing Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which restricts U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, has unsettled the Armenian lobby in the U.S. and triggered provocative activity by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). This process began almost immediately after Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna introduced a legislative initiative in December of last year aimed at repealing this unjust restriction.

In response, pro-Armenian members of the House of Representatives quickly introduced a new bill called the Armenia Security Partnership Act, which seeks to prevent the U.S. president from lifting the restrictions on Azerbaijan imposed under Section 907. This clearly provocative legislation was introduced by long-time staunchly pro-Armenian—and notoriously corrupt—congressmen: Democrat Frank Pallone from New Jersey and Republican Gus Bilirakis from Florida, who has served as vice-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus from the Republican Party since 2014.

In fact, by the time he was appointed as a “servant of Armenian interests,” Bilirakis already had a long track record of defending the “rights of the helpless and downtrodden”—namely, American Greeks and Armenians—and, of course, he pursued this “mission” not out of altruism but for substantial fees, as his own outspoken statements make clear.

“As a deep admirer of the ingenuity, entrepreneurial spirit, and work ethic of Armenian-Americans, I am thrilled to serve as Vice-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus,” the congressman once declared, assuring his patrons that he was “a longtime friend of the Armenian people and vociferous supporter of recognizing the Armenia Genocide for what it was: the massacre of 1.5 million innocent Armenian men, women, and children at the hands of the Ottomans.”

Words are one thing, but reality is quite another—and it is under no obligation to match twisted fantasies. By introducing their bill in defiance of Congresswoman Luna’s proposal, long-time Armenian allies in the U.S. Congress, Pallone and Bilirakis, failed to take into account the new realities established by the historic Washington meeting on August 8, 2025, in the world’s top office.

The biased document claims that future assistance should be conditioned “on key criteria, including the return of Armenian refugees to Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s release of all Armenian hostages, stopping renewed attacks” on Armenia.

This naturally raises a logical and pointed question for the authors of this, to put it mildly, absurd bill: “What attacks against Armenia could they be referring to, when Baku and Yerevan are not only practically on the verge of signing a peace agreement but have even established trade and economic ties?”

It seems the answer is obvious: through ANCA and the hands of bought-and-paid-for American legislators, there is an attempt to fan the flames of revanchism, an idea still upheld by a portion of Armenian society.

At the same time, they spare no means to achieve their petty goals. As The Jerusalem Post writes, “A congressional bill that would expand US security assistance to Azerbaijan has renewed tensions between the Armenian National Committee of America and Israel.” The publication notes that ANCA criticised the initiative and argued that Israel’s policy runs “contrary to Jewish traditions, spiritual and secular,” while claiming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is “arming Azerbaijan” and “endangering the Armenian Christian Quarter in Jerusalem.”

First, it should be noted that the Armenian lobby’s attempt to drive a wedge between Azerbaijan and Israel is doomed to fail from the outset. Second, by engaging in blatant populism, the Armenian lobby is damaging already fragile relations between the State of Israel and the Republic of Armenia.

In this context, the attacks by the Armenian diaspora on Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna appear even more reprehensible. Luna, a former U.S. Air Force servicewoman, became the first woman of Mexican heritage in Florida’s history to be elected to Congress. She is a Republican and a vocal supporter of Israel. The Armenian lobby has repeatedly tried to discredit her. For example, in its social media posts, ANCA “accused” the Congresswoman of having a grandfather who “served in the Nazi army” during World War II, despite the lack of any official evidence. At the same time, it is documented that another of Luna’s grandfathers fought in World War II as part of the U.S. Army against the Nazis—a fact conveniently ignored by ANCA.

In essence, the claims made by the Armenian diaspora against Luna are entirely fabricated. Moreover, this so-called “dirt” is at best absurd, since legally she bears no responsibility for the actions of her ancestors. Such attacks are nothing more than a malicious attempt at revenge by the Armenian lobby against the Congresswoman for her initiative to fully repeal Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.

There is not the slightest doubt that ANCA will not rest and, despite the predictable failure of all its efforts, intends to continue such provocations against Azerbaijan in the U.S. Congress. However, the global Armenian diaspora cannot stop either the process of establishing peace in the South Caucasus or the Azerbaijan–U.S. partnership, which is forward-looking and will inevitably lead to the repeal of Section 907.

As Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev rightly emphasised during a meeting with a U.S. delegation on January 4, 2026, “ the unjust Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act does not correspond to the essence of the current development of relations between the two countries.” The head of state highly appreciated its suspension by President Donald Trump and expressed hope that Congress members would continue efforts toward its full repeal.

President Aliyev’s statements also send a clear message to supporters of a new war in the region: sooner or later, this issue will be resolved in Azerbaijan’s favour. Baku has made it clear to lobbyists that spending vast sums to advance Armenian interests abroad is pointless, as in today’s reality, these “investments” work against Armenian statehood and the future of Armenia.