Anna Eshoo: “First I would like to pay tribute to the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Engel, for helping to bring this…”

“First I would like to pay tribute to the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Engel, for helping to bring this to the floor; to everyone that is part of, from both sides of the aisle, the Armenian caucus in the House; and to my sister, friend, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who shares this heritage with me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, H. Res. 296, which affirms the Armenian genocide. This is a historic day in the House of Representatives, and it is one that I have been waiting for for 27 years. Between 1915 and 1923, 1.5 million Armenians--and this is a historical fact that many people are not aware of, that there were hundreds of thousands of Assyrians, Greeks, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians who were systematically slaughtered by the Ottoman Empire. This is deeply personal for me. I am the only Member of Congress of Armenian Assyrian decent and one of only three of Armenian heritage in the House of Representatives--I think in the entire Congress, Senate and House. Some of you know that I had members of my own family who were among those that perished, and my parents fled with theirs to America. As my father said: The best idea that was ever born was America. What all of those who were persecuted have in common was that they were Christians, and that is why they were hunted down and slaughtered. This resolution not only honors my ancestors, but all of those who perished in the first genocide of the 20th century.…”