Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland pledged Tuesday to maintain a hold on regular military assistance for Egypt until Cairo’s human rights record improves, a stark change from the behavior of his predecessor who got caught in an alleged corruption scandal involving Egypt.
Cardin opted to block the $325 million in aid the State Department approved on a waiver for Egypt in September, arguing that U.S. national security interests overrode human rights conditions tied to the aid, according to The Hill. The move is a sign the newly-installed Senate Foreign Affairs Committee chair will deal a heavier hand with Egypt compared to ousted leader Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who currently faces charges related to taking bribes from Egypt in exchange for using his position to ensure favorable outcomes for the country.
Menendez has denied the allegations.
“I intend to exercise fully the Committee’s oversight responsibilities and my authorities to hold foreign military funds and the sale of arms to the government of Egypt, if it does not take concrete, meaningful, and sustainable steps to improve the human rights conditions in the country,” Cardin said in a statement. (RELATED: Blinken Sends Swooning Statement To Beijing In Honor Of Chinese National Day)
“My hold on current funds will remain until specific human rights progress is made,” Cardin said.
He specifically called on Egypt to reform its practice of holding accused individuals in pre-trial detention, expedite pardoning and release of thousands of political prisoners and allow human rights activists, opposition figures and independent media to freely operate in Egypt.
Cardin said he has spoken with Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the holds and their mutual desire to see Egypt’s human rights record improve. While he understands that Egypt supports America’s long-term strategic interests in the Middle East, he said human rights needs to be a priority.
Chair @SenatorCardin has announced he will block foreign military financing to #Egypt until it takes meaningful steps to improve #HumanRights conditions in the country.
“My hold on current funds will remain until specific human rights progress is made.” https://t.co/XGrBROuFXX
— Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) October 3, 2023
Cardin took over as committee chair on Sept. 27 after Menendez stepped down.
Committee chairs have the ability to reject the administration’s plans to transfer weapons to foreign governments, but the president does have certain mechanisms available to overrule Congress’ objections, according to The New York Times.
In September, President Joe Biden notified Congress of his intention to withhold from Egypt at least $85 million in foreign military financing, which provides partner countries money with which to purchase arms from the U.S., that was initially conditioned on the release of political prisoners. But, Biden requested a waiver for the remaining $235 million set aside for Egypt.
The U.S. provides about $1.3 billion in military assistance to Egypt every year to reinforce close ties with the powerful Middle Eastern nation, but just a small portion of that is conditioned on human rights, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The State Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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