As anti-American sentiment boils in Islamic countries like Egypt, lawmakers are moving to release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid under a governmentwide funding bill expected to clear Congress this week.
In the case of Egypt, turmoil since the overthrow of U.S. ally President Hosni Mubarak early last year has delayed the release of hundreds of millions of dollars in economic aid approved over several years.
A mob assault on the U.S. Embassy in Cairo certainly hasn’t helped efforts to release the approved funds, but White House press spokesman Jay Carney on Tuesday denied a media report that U.S. talks with Egypt to release the aid are on hold until after the election.
“We’re continuing to work with [Congress] on ways to support a stable, democratic transition in Egypt that is important for defeating extremism of the very kind that we just recently saw,” Mr. Carney said. “We provide assistance to Egypt because it’s in our interests to help them advance regional security and uphold their treaty with Israel and transition to democracy.”
Some in Congress have called for cutting off aid to Egypt.
Instead, new money will continue to be available under the terms of a six-month government funding bill that passed the House last week and faces a Senate procedural vote Wednesday. The measure allows for almost $130 million a month in military and economic aid to Egypt because it permits aid to flow at the same rate as current funding.
Conservative GOP Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana mounted a futile protest during House debate on the stopgap spending bill last week.
“I want to know if any of it is going to Libya or Egypt,” Mr. Burton said. “Our embassies have been attacked. An ambassador has been killed. The Muslim Brotherhood runs Egypt — and we’re going to give them money? I would like to have an answer.”
Mr. Burton didn’t get an answer. But it’s clear that no money from the temporary spending bill would go to the government of Libya, which unlike Egypt has ample oil resources. Some humanitarian aid could end up flowing into Libya, but it’s not mandated.
As for aid to Egypt, it would be permitted at an annualized rate of $1.55 billion, though the actual flow of money is supposed to be contingent on the administration’s willingness to certify that Egypt has met stringent conditions demanded by Congress, including demonstrating that it is taking specific steps toward democracy.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, however, has the authority to waive such congressional conditions placed on aid if it would be in the United States’ national security interest. She issued such a waiver in March.
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