The Obama administration's plans to release $450 million in U.S. aid to Egypt have been put on hold by a member of Congress who insists the relationship between the two countries requires more scrutiny before aid to Cairo is resumed.
"This proposal comes to Congress at a point when the U.S.-Egypt relationship has never been under more scrutiny, and rightly so," Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas, pictured) said in a written statement Friday. "I am not convinced of the urgent need for this assistance and I cannot support it at this time," said Granger, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations.
U.S.-Egyptian relations have been unsettled since the overthrow in 2011 of the decades-long rule of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a longtime U.S. ally. The new government drew Washington's disapproval this year by suppressing democracy advocates, including members of three...
