Democrats push Biden to restrict Egypt’s military aid over rights abuses
Egypt’s annual military assistance is shaping up to be another test of the administration’s ability to balance human rights considerations with American strategic interests.
President Joe Biden’s next human rights test is around the corner. The administration faces an end-of-month deadline to inform Congress of how much military assistance it will send to Egypt, a close strategic partner in the Middle East with a long track record of jailing dissidents and stifling free speech.
In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent Tuesday, seven House Democrats led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) urged the administration not to release a portion of Egypt’s assistance if it fails to fully meet the requirements outlined in the annual appropriations legislation.
“As the Biden administration continues to seek to prioritize human rights in our foreign policy following the Trump administration’s woeful abdication of our democratic principles, we call on you to uphold these values — and adhere to the spirit and intent of the law — in our bilateral relationship with Egypt,” they wrote.
Human rights groups say Biden, who as a presidential candidate pledged he would send “no more blank checks” to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, fell short of expectations last year when his administration released a portion of the security aid that Congress had made contingent on Cairo implementing rights reforms. They’re bracing themselves for a repeat this year.
