The fate of $235 million in military assistance to Egypt hangs in the balance following the change in leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A decision is expected within the next 24 hours.
Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the newly appointed committee chair, has until the end of the fiscal year, which is approaching this weekend, to determine whether to place a hold on the millions of dollars in military funding for Egypt.
The stakes are high due to the indictment of the former committee chair, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who is being accused of accepting bribes to benefit the Egyptian government.
During a roundtable briefing with reporters on Thursday morning, Cardin stated, “I should be in a position to evaluate what I have to do by tomorrow.”
Earlier this month, the Biden administration issued a waiver to allow $235 million in military aid to Egypt, citing prioritization of U.S. national security interests over human rights concerns in the country.
As the new committee chair, Cardin now has the power to block the $235 million, but he expressed his intention to speak with his staff and the administration before making a decision.
“I’m not yet one day old [in this role], and I need to have briefings from our staff and give the administration an opportunity to be heard on these issues. I recognize that some of these are very time-sensitive, and Egypt certainly falls into that category,” Cardin said.
Cardin acknowledged the honor of his elevation to the chairmanship but remarked, “the circumstances are tragic in how it occurred.”
Cardin stated that he would refrain from commenting on his predecessor’s charges until after Senator Menendez addressed the Democratic caucus, which is expected to take place on Thursday.
“I’m going to defer substantive answers in regards to Senator Menendez until after he’s had a chance to address our caucus this afternoon. At that point, I may have some things to say, but until then, I’m going to reserve judgment,” Cardin explained.
Additionally, Cardin emphasized that the indictment did not implicate the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff or any other senators on the committee.
“I have total confidence in the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” Cardin affirmed.
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