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Senator: U.S. Suspended Military Aid to Egypt
(Daily Beast) Josh Rogin - The office of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the head of the state and foreign-operations appropriations subcommittee, said on Monday that military aid to Egypt has been temporarily cut off. Leahy's "understanding is that aid to the Egyptian military has been halted, as required by law," said David Carle, a spokesman for Leahy. The administration's public message is that $585 million of promised aid to the Egyptian military in fiscal 2013 is not due until Sept. 30, and no final decisions have been made. But two administration officials said that administration lawyers decided it was best to observe the law restricting military aid on a temporary basis, as if there had been a coup designation. "We are going to act as if the designation has been made for now," said one administration official. "By not announcing the decision, it gives the administration the flexibility to reverse it." Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday that all aspects of U.S. aid to Egypt were part of an ongoing review. He also sought to tamp down expectations that any suspension or revoking of U.S. aid to Egypt would immediately change the calculus of the Egyptian military. "Our ability to influence the outcome in Egypt is limited," he said.