The chairwoman of the congressional subcommittee administering foreign aid blocked the Obama administration’s plans to infuse Egypt with $450 million in emergency aid.
“This proposal comes to Congress at a point when the U.S.-Egypt relationship has never been under more scrutiny, and rightly so,” Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), the chairwoman of the foreign operations subcommittee of the House of Represen-tatives Appropriations Com-mittee, said in a statement Sept. 28.
Earlier that week, the Obama administration reaffirmed its commitment to current levels of funding for Egypt’s military while announcing new civil assistance programs.
Congressional Republicans have urged the Obama administration to consider cutting assistance to Egypt in the wake of anti-American sentiment, seen as encouraged by the country’s new Muslim Brotherhood-led government. — jta