Congress weighs easing restrictions on military aid to Egypt
Lawmakers are debating whether to give the Obama administration the power to sidestep legal obstacles to the $1.3 billion annual aid package
WASHINGTON — Key lawmakers are debating whether to ease the tough restrictions on military aid to Egypt that they put in place after the military ousted democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi, Al-Monitor has learned.
The potential changes are part of continuing talks surrounding a 10-month "omnibus" spending bill that House and Senate leaders hope to pass by Dec. 11, when the current stopgap measure expires. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's muscular crackdown on Islamists — including campaigns in the Sinai Peninsula and against smuggling tunnels to Gaza — is prompting some lawmakers to consider giving the Obama administration more flexibility to keep the $1.3 billion a year military aid spigot open despite human rights concerns.
