Sponsors (30)
The bill increases U.S. support and oversight related to Armenia and pressures Azerbaijan through reduced waiver authority, trading stronger enforcement and transparency for reduced presidential flexibility, modest taxpayer cost risk, and the possibility of rushed reporting.
U.S. national-security interests and Armenia's defense: targeted U.S. security assistance could be provided to Armenia when Azerbaijan fails to meet commitments, improving Armenia's deterrence and self‑defense.
U.S. leverage: narrowing the President's waiver authority if Azerbaijan does not comply increases leverage to press Azerbaijan to withdraw forces and release prisoners, strengthening enforcement of U.S. policy goals.
Congress and taxpayers: the bill requires regular, specific reporting on Azerbaijan's compliance and U.S. threat assessments, increasing transparency and congressional oversight of U.S. actions in the region.
Diplomacy and executive flexibility: restricting the President's waiver authority could reduce diplomatic flexibility to negotiate broader settlements or coordinated measures, potentially complicating diplomacy and crisis management.
Taxpayers: increased U.S. security assistance to Armenia could raise costs for U.S. taxpayers if additional funding or arms sales are required.
Report quality and policymaking: tight reporting deadlines (e.g., 14 days) may force hurried assessments that rely on preliminary information, reducing report quality and potentially misinforming congressional or executive decisions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Mandates DoD certification about Azerbaijan’s actions toward Armenia, requires a prompt review and report if certification is not made, and limits a presidential waiver after a missed certification.
Introduced December 18, 2025 by Gus Bilirakis · Last progress December 18, 2025
Requires the Secretary of Defense to certify within 180 days of enactment and annually whether Azerbaijan has taken a set of specified meaningful steps toward Armenia (withdrawal from Armenian territory, release of prisoners, ceasing hostilities, recognizing a right of return to Nagorno‑Karabakh, preserving Armenian cultural sites, and upholding the Joint Declaration). If the Secretary cannot make the certification, the Department of Defense must promptly review U.S. security assistance to Armenia, identify capability gaps and immediate DoD actions, and report findings and recommendations to the congressional defense committees. The measure also restricts the President’s ability to use a statutory waiver for certain assistance programs after a missed certification.