WASHINGTON — A group of US senators is urging the Biden administration to withhold a fraction of Egypt’s annual military assistance over human rights concerns.
“Egypt’s human rights record has continued to deteriorate, despite the Egyptian government’s claims to the contrary,” read a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent Friday led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and 10 other liberal senators, among them Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
At roughly $1.3 billion, Egypt is the second-largest recipient of US foreign military financing after Israel. For fiscal year 2022, Congress has conditioned $320 million of that assistance on the North African country meeting certain human rights benchmarks.
New: US Sen. @ChrisMurphyCT and 10 other lawmakers urge the Biden administration to withhold $320 million of Egypt's annual $1.3 billion in military aid in line with FY22 Appropriations Act.
— Jared Szuba (@JM_Szuba) July 28, 2023
"For each political prisoner that has been released, Egypt has detained three more." pic.twitter.com/Dj1Pbtvk64
