Key House lawmakers of both parties are pressing the Donald Trump administration to demand that Egypt release detained US citizens and end its crackdown on civil society in a sign that the incoming Congress is serious about taking Cairo to task over its checkered human rights record.
More than 30 lawmakers so far have signed onto to the Dear Colleague letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spearheaded by Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the top Democrat on the Middle East panel, and panel chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. Among the signatories to date is incoming House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., raising the possibility that the annual $1.3 billion US military aid package to Egypt might be used as leverage.
