WASHINGTON, July 18 (UPI) -- The Bush administration employed high-level pressure to press Congress to maintain U.S. military aid to Egypt, the Middle East Newsline reported Sunday.
The House voted to approve amendments to a $19.4 billion foreign aid bill that could cost Saudi Arabia millions of dollars in military costs and cut off aid to Jordan.
Senior administration officials were summoned Thursday to beat back a House attempt to cut $570 million in military aid to Egypt. Egypt has received $1.3 billion in military aid from the United States.
The House effort was led by Rep. Tom Lantos, who proposed a three-year plan to convert U.S. military aid to Egypt into economic assistance. Lantos, supported by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, has asserted that Egypt failed to cooperate with the United States on a range of strategic issues, including the war against al Qaida and related groups as well as Iraq and Sudan.
