The Biden administration informed Congress that it is further withholding $130 million in military aid from Egypt after the country failed to address U.S. concerns over its human-rights record, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The decision comes after intense pressure from Democratic lawmakers who wanted to see Egypt’s leaders address human rights abuses, such as the jailing of political opponents, before receiving additional security assistance. The State Department, which outlined a series of conditions on the money to Egypt’s government late last year, briefed the congressional appropriations committees about its decision this week, the people said.
“I’m glad the Biden administration held the line by reprogramming these funds,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “It sends the important message abroad that we will back up our commitment to human rights with action and gone are the days where dictators receive blank checks from America.”
A State Department spokesperson told POLITICO Friday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken “has yet to make a decision” on the matter. Blinken initially held back the $130 million in September, demanding that Egypt first address specific human-rights concerns. An additional $170 million was released to Egypt at the same time.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has released some political prisoners since Blinken first withheld the funding in September, but his government has orchestrated a massive crackdown on political opponents in recent years.
Murphy said the conditions laid out to Egypt were “narrow and wholly achievable,” but Al-Sisi “failed to do so, while the human rights environment more broadly has further deteriorated under his watch.”
Egypt is a significant security partner for the U.S. in the Middle East. And despite the State Department’s decision this week to withhold the $130 million already allocated for Egypt, the Biden administration approved a sprawling $2.5 billion weapons sale to Egypt earlier this week.
CNN first reported the Biden administration’s decision to block the funding.
Jennifer Scholtes, Connor O’Brien and Nahal Toosi contributed to this report.
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By: Andrew Desiderio
Title: Biden admin blocks military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns
Sourced From: www.politico.com/news/2022/01/28/biden-admin-blocks-military-aid-to-egypt-over-human-rights-concerns-00003242
Published Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2022 12:18:56 EST
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