Lobbying 2016: Jordan tops list of Arab aid recipients
![JORDAN-USA/ Jordan's King Abdullah (R) and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (C) listen to Jordanian Chief of Staff General Mashal Mohammad Zaben during their visit to a joint Jordanian-American training center at Zarqa, northeast of Amman, Jordan, March 10, 2016. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTSA7HN](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2016/08/RTSA7HN.jpg/RTSA7HN.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=YHBR321G)
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan tops the list of Arab recipients of US aid this year, cementing its status as a key ally in the fight against the Islamic State and a bulwark against the instability ravaging the region.
Amman is set to receive $1.6 billion in economic and security assistance this fiscal year, including counterterrorism support funds, Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Jordan in February. The aid package would put Jordan ahead of much-larger Egypt as Congress desperately tries to stop the country from collapsing under the strain of Syrian refugees.