A key U.S. House panel responsible for foreign aid voted today to approve $44 million in economic aid to Armenia - a figure $4 million less than the $48 million the same body adopted last year, but $4 million more than the amount proposed earlier this year in President Obama's budget request to Congress, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). Reports from sources close to this process report that the panel, which is led by longtime Armenian American issues supporter Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), voted, once again, to increase the ceiling on direct U.S. assistance to Nagorno Karabagh, approving language calling on the Administration to spend up to $10 million for programs in Artsakh. The panel did not include language calling for Nagorno Karabagh's return to direct participation in the peace process, or seeking to break down barriers to U.S.-Nagorno Karabagh contacts and communications. Nor did it act favorably upon requests made by Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and the ANCA to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan in response to its escalating war rhetoric and, most notably, Baku's June 18th attack on Nagorno Karabagh, which led to the death of 5 soldiers. Significantly, the measure adopted today by the Subcommittee rejects attempts by President Obama to tilt the balance in U.S. military aid in favor of Azerbaijan. The panel chose, instead, to maintain parity in Foreign Military Financing at $3.5 million and International Military Education and Training allocations, at $450,000, to Yerevan and Baku.