WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- With tensions rising between the United States and Turkey over a resolution that labels the World War I-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces `` genocide , '' many are asking why the House is debating the resolution now . Rep. Tom Lantos says passage of the genocide resolution would help restore America 's moral authority . The House Foreign Affairs committee voted 27-21 Wednesday to approve the nonbinding resolution , which declares that the deportation of nearly 2 million Armenians from the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923 -- resulting in the deaths of 1.5 million -- was `` systematic '' and `` deliberate , '' amounting to `` genocide . '' The Democratic leadership has not scheduled a final vote . Administration officials have lobbied against the resolution , saying good U.S-Turkish relations are vital to U.S. forces in Iraq . The Pentagon says 70 percent of the military 's cargo heading into Iraq either flies into or over Turkey . But House Democrats view the resolution as part of their mandate to restore America 's moral authority around the world . House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday said arguments that Turkey is too vital an ally to alienate has delayed the resolution for too long . Watch Speaker Pelosi defend the timing of the debate » . `` I 've been in Congress for 20 years . And for 20 years , people have been saying the same thing . '' Pelosi said Thursday . `` There 's never a good time . And all of us in the Democratic leadership have supported ... reiterating the Americans ' acknowledgement of a genocide . '' `` As long as there is genocide , there is need to speak out against it , '' she added . And one of the chief supporters of the resolution , House Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos , D-California , was unmoved by the administration 's arguments that Turkey would block the use of U.S. airbases on Turkish soil . `` The Turkish government will not act against the United States because that would be against their own interests , '' he told CNN . `` I 'm convinced of this . '' Lantos , the only member of the House who is a Holocaust survivor , says passage of the resolution would also help to bring a moral dimension back to U.S. foreign policy . `` One of the problems we have diplomatically globally is that we have lost our moral authority which we used to have in great abundance , '' Lantos said . `` People around the globe who are familiar with these events will appreciate the fact that the United States is speaking out against a historic injustice . This would be like sweeping slavery under the rug and saying slavery never occurred . '' But Democrats are not united behind the measure , Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton , D-Missouri , has sent a letter to Pelosi on Thursday opposing the resolution , saying the resulting backlash threatened by Turkey could disrupt `` America 's ability to redeploy U.S. military forces from Iraq , '' a top Democratic priority . And the top Republican in the House , Minority Leader John Boehner , R-Ohio , said Thursday that bringing the resolution up for a final vote would be `` totally irresponsible . '' `` The fact is that Turkey is a very good ally of the United States . They are critical to our security , not only her to but our troops oversees , '' Boehner said . `` Let the historians decide what happened 90 years ago . '' E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Dana Bash contributed to this report .
Resolution labels 1915 - 1923 massacre of Armenians in Turkey ` ` genocide '' House Democrats say resolution will help restore America 's moral authority . Administration says resolution would hurt relations with Turkey , a key ally .