Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has decided to maintain U.S. military aid to
Egypt.

A Senate panel has approved a foreign aid budget that maintains U.S.
military aid to Egypt for 2013. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
Foreign Operations agreed to a request by the administration of President
Barack Obama for $1.3 billion in aid to Cairo.

In December 2011, Congress moved to suspend military aid to Egypt amid its prosecution of American staffers of pro-democracy non-governmental organizations. In March, the administration restored military aid to Egypt for fiscal 2012 and transferred the $1.3 billion in one lump sum.

The U.S. military aid to Egypt was again linked to its security
cooperation and human rights record. But the legislation was expected to contain an option for the administration to waive conditions on aid to Egypt on grounds of national security.

“This is a bipartisan bill that addresses the priorities of senators of
both parties,” Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the subcommittee, said on May 22.

Under the $52.1 billion foreign aid bill, Egypt and other Middle East
countries would receive up to $5.8 billion under the Foreign Military
Financing Program. Israel would receive $3.1 billion; Egypt, $1.3 billion;
and Jordan, $300 million.

The legislation, which also cut aid to Pakistan, was $2.6 billion less
than what Obama had requested. On May 24, the full Senate Appropriations
Committee was scheduled to vote for the foreign aid bill.

The subcommittee also ordered a $5 million cut out of $250 million in
civilian aid to Egypt. Senators said the figure represented the money spent
by Washington to rescue the American NGO staffers from Egyptian prosecution
in early 2012.

“We got our money back,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, the ranking Republican,
said.

The subcommittee also cut the administration’s request for aid to Iraq
amid congressional concern over Baghdad’s turn toward Iran. Under the bill,
Baghdad would receive $1.1 billion, but denied Obama’s request to develop
Iraq’s police program.

“Because the Iraqi police training program has not progressed as hoped,”
Leahy said, “and our relations with Pakistan have been stalled for months,
Sen. Graham and I have not used $881 million that the full committee
initially recommended for the subcommittee. That is money we are saving the
taxpayers.”

  Barack Obama, cuts aid to Pakistan, cuts Pakistan’s, Foreign Military Financing Program, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Senate approves Egypt’s military aid