WASHINGTON, DC – Bipartisan support for a Congressional letter urging President Bush to keep his campaign pledge and properly characterize the Armenian Genocide as “genocide” continued to grow this week, with 135 House Members having added their name to the list of signatories, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The grassroots effort to secure additional supporters will be expanding in the upcoming week.

Initiated by House Genocide Resolution lead sponsors George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), the letter calls on President Bush to reaffirm the “United States record on the Armenian Genocide in your April 24 commemorative statement.”

Congressional colleagues joining Representatives Radanovich, Schiff, Pallone and Knollenberg pledging to co-sign the letter as of Friday, April 2nd, include: Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Tom Allen (D-ME), Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Joe Baca (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Howard Berman (D-CA), Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), Tim Bishop (D-NY), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), Mary Bono (R-CA), Jeb Bradley (R-NH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Dave Camp (R-MI), Michael Capuano (D-MA), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), William Clay (D-MO), John Conyers (D-MI), Jerry Costello (D-IL), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Duke Cunningham (R-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Susan Davis (D-CA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), William Delahunt (D-MA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), John Dingell (D-MI), John Doolittle (R-CA), David Dreier (R-CA), Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Lane Evans (D-IL), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Mike Ferguson (R-NJ), Bob Filner (D-CA), Mark Foley (R-FL), Vito Fossella (R-NY), Barney Frank (D-MA), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Jim Greenwood (R-PA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Joe Hoeffel (D-PA), Tim Holden (D-PA), Michael Honda (D-CA), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Steve Israel (D-NY), Jesse Jackson (D-IL), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Sue Kelly (R-NY), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Dale Kildee (D-MI), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Nick Lampson (D-TX), James Langevin (D-RI), John Larson (D-CT), Steven LaTourette (R-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sander Levin (D-MI), John Lewis (D-GA), William Lipinski (D-IL), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jim Matheson (D-UT), Karen McCarthy (D-MO), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Jim McDermott (D-WA), James McGovern (D-MA), John McHugh (R-NY), Buck McKeon (R-CA), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Martin Meehan (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Richard Neal (D-MA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Devin Nunes (R-CA), John Olver (D-MA), “C. L. “”Butch”” Otter (R-ID)”, Donald Payne (D-NJ), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Mike Rogers (R-MI), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Edward Royce (R-CA), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Paul Ryan (R-WI), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), H. James Saxton (R-NJ), Christopher Shays (R-CT), Brad Sherman (D-CA), John Shimkus (R-IL), Rob Simmons (R-CT), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Hilda Solis (D-CA), Mark Souder (R-IN), Pete Stark (D-CA), John Sweeney (R-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA), John Tierney (D-MA), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH), Mark Udall (D-CO), Christopher Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Visclosky (D-IN), James Walsh (R-NY), Diane Watson (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Curt Weldon (R-PA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Frank Wolf (R-VA), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), and Albert Wynn (D-MD).

Support for the letter is expected to grow considerably, as the Armenian American community continues its grassroots campaign to urge legislators to become signatories. The ANCA launched a WebFax campaign last week, which calls on House Members to speak out on a number of Genocide reaffirmation initiatives including this letter, as well as urging Speaker Hastert to schedule a vote on the Genocide resolution, H.Res. 193. That legislation was unanimously adopted by the House Judiciary Committee and currently has 110 cospnsors. Activists are also asking their Representative to co-host the 10th Annual Armenian Genocide Observance on Capitol Hill, which currently has the support of over 85 Senators and Representatives.