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, released the following statement on Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) decision to block foreign military financing to Egypt until the country takes meaningful steps to improve human rights conditions in the country:

“I have repeatedly made the case that Egypt has not shown ‘clear and consistent progress’ toward releasing political prisoners and improving its record on human rights and therefore does not meet the conditions Congress placed on its security assistance. Time and again, U.S. administrations have either waived the conditions which the Egyptian government failed to meet, or certified compliance despite ample evidence to the contrary. Until we see real progress on these issues, blocking this military aid is the right call, and I’m grateful to Chairman Cardin for consulting with members of the Foreign Relations Committee before making his decision. The world pays attention when the United States does more than talk the talk on its commitment to human rights and democracy.”

Last month, Murphy released a statement on the Biden administration’s decision to send U.S. aid to Egypt despite human rights conditions that Congress placed on the security assistance and took to the U.S. Senate floor to call attention to Egypt’s egregious human rights record. In July, Murphy led 10 senators in urging the Biden administration to withhold the $320 million of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to Egypt that Congress made contingent upon specific human rights conditions in the FY22 Appropriations Act. In May, Murphy chaired a hearing on the FY24 budget request for the Middle East and North Africa and raised this same issue.

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