WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, on Friday applauded the Biden administration for reprogramming the $130 million in security assistance to Egypt the United States withheld after the Egyptian government failed to meet conditions related to improving human rights:
“After withholding a small portion of military aid from Egypt last September, the United States laid out a list of narrow and wholly achievable human rights conditions for President Sisi to meet in order to receive the remaining funds. He failed to do so, while the human rights environment more broadly has further deteriorated under his watch. I’m glad the Biden administration held the line by reprogramming these funds. It sends the important message abroad that we will back up our commitment to human rights with action and gone are the days where dictators receive blank checks from America,” said Murphy.
Earlier this week, Murphy continued urging the Biden administration to hold the line and reprogram funds if Egypt fails to meet our conditions on human rights. Murphy has been a vocal proponent of withholding security aid based on human rights concerns, releasing a statement on the Biden administration’s decision in September to send U.S. aid to Egypt despite the human rights conditions that Congress placed on the security assistance. Murphy has been a vocal critic of Egypt’s treatment of political prisoners and held a Facebook Live discussion with human rights defender Mohamed Soltan. In July, Murphy delivered remarks on the U.S. Senate floor calling on the Biden administration to withhold aid to Egypt based on human rights violations—specifically its treatment of political prisoners. In the past, the executive branch has routinely waived conditions that Congress placed on U.S. military aid to Egypt.
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