U.S. House Members Form Egypt Caucus, Seek to Restore Full Military Aid

Congress has overseen the formation of a lobbying group for Egypt.

A group of House members have formed the Egypt Caucus in a campaign to restore U.S. military aid to Cairo, WorldTribune.com reported.

The House members, almost all of them Republicans, have asserted that the new military-backed government led by
President Abdul Fatah Sisi marked a continuation of the strategic partnership with the United States.

“If this government succumbs to radical rule, it will be a profound blow to the people of Egypt and to all free people everywhere,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, the new group’s co-chairman, said. “We will stand or fall together.”

In a news conference on July 16, the caucus acknowledged allegations of human and civil rights abuses by the Egyptian military and police. But House members said Sisi was committed to modernizing Egypt and stopping it from falling to the Muslim Brotherhood.

“We need this caucus now more than ever,” Rep. Michele Bachmann,” a Minnesota Republican, said. “What President Al Sisi is trying to do, quite frankly, is to set Egypt on a positive path toward prosperity and growth and peace in the Middle East region.”

Organizers said the caucus came in response to lobbying within the House and Senate against the restoration of $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid to Egypt. In May 2014, several senators stopped the administration of President Barack Obama from delivering 10 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the Egyptian Air Force.

“The purpose of this caucus is not to take any one side, but to promote dialogue and understanding within the House of Representatives and to engage in deeper discussion on issues and developments in Egypt,” Rep. Loretta Sanchez, the only Democrat in the group, said. “I hope this caucus will provide a bipartisan and open venue for members to provide their perspectives.”

Source: WorldTribune.Com