Top House appropriator: U.S. aid to Egypt not stopping any time soon

As the Obama administration and the rest of the Washington foreign policy community struggle to come to terms with the unfolding events in Egypt, top White House officials and an increasing number of top lawmakers seem to agree that the U.S. should not suspend military aid to the Egyptian military in the near term.

The speculation over whether U.S. military aid to Egypt, which totaled $1.3 billion last year, would be suspended hit a high pitch on Jan. 29 when White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters, "We will be reviewing our assistance posture based on events now and in the coming days." That same day, House Foreign Affairs Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) said in a statement, ""The United States must leverage its long-standing assistance to press Mr. Mubarak to let the voice of his people be heard through legitimate democratic elections."

But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walked that back on Jan. 30, telling ABC News, "There is no discussion as of this time about cutting off any aid. We always are looking and reviewing our aid."

And on Monday, House Appropriations State and Foreign Ops subcommittee chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) also indicated that aid to Egypt would not be cut off anytime soon.

"While there are calls for eliminating Egypt’s economic and military aid, I urge caution when deciding what the U.S. response will be," she said. "It is critical that we are deliberate about the actions we take. Egypt has been a moderate influence in the Middle East and has a peace agreement with Israel."

U.S. aid to Egypt totaled $1.55 billion in fiscal 2010, which includes $1.3 million in direct military aid. That’s down from a high of $2.1 billion in total U.S. assistance in fiscal 1998. For fiscal 2011, the Obama administration had requested $250 million in economic support funds. That request is still pending.

The Obama administration’s response to political upheaval this month in Lebanon is the most recent indicator of how they view the continuation of military aid to a country where the political winds are blowing against the interests of the United States.

Despite the fact Lebanon now has a prime minister backed by Hezbollah, the U.S. will continue funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) for now, Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough said in a Jan. 27 roundtable that included The Cable.

"We think that it’s a very important independent institution," McDonough said about the LAF. "That’s why we support the Lebanese Armed Forces, not because of their association or non-association with Hezbollah, but rather because of their independence — their independence from any political actor. We think that’s very important, we’re going to continue to work with them, but obviously we’re going to take a look at each of the developments along the way."

The U.S. relationship with the Egyptian military closely mirrors the U.S. relationship with the LAF, said Andrew Tabler, next generation fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

"The military in Egypt right now is maintaining control and they’ve been responsible regarding the protesters, so they’re definitely a force that the U.S. government wants to maintain favor with at this stage," Tabler said.

The administration’s latest message, that military and foreign aid suspension is not in the works, is due to the fact that the military aid is directly tied to Egypt’s peace accord with Israel – and, of course, because the political situation in Cairo is still in flux, Tabler said.

"The administration is sending a signal to the Egyptian military that if you act responsibly we’ll stand behind you. I think that’s a smart policy."