Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Congress has begun slashing military aid to Egypt.

A key Senate subcommittee voted to reduce aid to Egypt and the Palestinian Authority for fiscal 2015. In a 25-5 vote, the Senate State and Foreign Operations subcommittee, citing human rights violations, cut $400 million in U.S. aid to Egypt.

“We have to send Egypt a message,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, the ranking
Republican, said.

Under the June 19 vote, U.S. military aid to Egypt would be reduced from
$1.3 billion to $1 billion. In a voice vote, civilian assistance would be
cut by $100 million.

“We’re still engaging with Egypt,” Graham said. “We still have funding
for Egypt, but we’re reducing their money because we want the Egyptian
government to understand that democracy is important, and that we’re looking
and watching as to how you run your judiciary and how Egypt is evolving.”

In contrast, the House has sought to maintain U.S. aid for Egypt. On
June 18, the House Appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign
Operations voted to keep current spending levels for Egypt’s military and
civilian institutions. On June 24, the full House Appropriations Committee
was scheduled to vote.

In all, the Senate subcommittee approved a $48.3 billion budget for the
State Department as well as U.S. foreign aid. The budget included an
unspecified reduction in U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority, said
to have funded convicted killers of Americans and Israelis.

An amendment to the budget, introduced by Graham and Sen. Mark Kirk,
called on Congress to reduce U.S. aid to the amount allocated by the PA for
insurgents in Israeli prisons. The PA, set to receive $400 million in fiscal
2015, has acknowledged that an unspecified number of Palestinians convicted
of murder were receiving salaries.

  Palestinian Authority, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Mark Kirk, Senate State and Foreign Operations Committee, U.S. Senate panel votes aid cut: ‘We have to send Egypt a message’