US Congress allocates $1.3bn of military aid to Egypt for 2014

The United States Congress allocated $1.3bn of military aid to be made available to Egypt in Fiscal Year 2014 (FY 2014). Following the decision, the US could also provide an additional $250m to the Egyptian government for economic support, including $35m earmarked for higher education programmes.

The bill, upon which both the Senate and House of Representatives agreed on Monday, ties all aid to two requirements; firstly, that Egypt maintains “the strategic relationship with the US” and, secondly, that it adheres to “its obligations under the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty”. The Secretary of State, currently John Kerry, is charged with determining if these conditions are met.

The bill must ultimately be approved by President Barack Obama as per the US legislative process.