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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Egypt Assistance Reform Act out of committee this week in a bipartisan vote of 16-1. The bill, introduced by chairman of the Committee Senator Rob Menendez (D-NJ), is a stand alone bill similar to the amendment Menendez and Corker (R-TN) introduced to the National Defense Authorization Act. According to Reuters, ”Wednesday’s committee vote cleared the legislation for consideration by the full Senate, but it was not certain when it might get to the floor, or whether it would be considered as a standalone bill or as part of a larger appropriations bill.”
At the Committee markup on Wednesday, Menendez said, “This legislation reaffirms the enduring U.S. commitment to our partnership with the Egyptian government by authorizing continued assistance and endorsing the importance of ongoing cooperation,” according to John Hudson of Foreign Policy. The article also notes that Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), the only member of the Committee to vote against the bill, argued that the Committee, ”voted to weaken existing law and give the president more authority to send billions in aid to countries who violently overthrow their governments and engage in violence against their own citizens.” Shadi Hamid, director of research at Brookings Doha Center commented that “the administration is abdicating its jurisdiction over the issue.” Laura Rozen writes for Al-Monitor that the new law “could set a precedent for loosening current restrictions on US assistance to post-coup countries. Moreover, Rozen notes, “it would virtually eliminate the restrictions of Section 7008, which currently prevents aid to post coup countries, by offering a framework for a waiver, which could be renewed.”
