WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Members of Congress are split over whether the U.S. should cut
off military aid to Egypt, highlighting the difficult choices facing the
Obama administration amid spiraling violence on the streets of an
important Middle East ally.
Democratic leaders
have generally supported the president's approach. But on Sunday, Rep.
Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said he would end aid to Egypt. Ellison is the
first Muslim elected to Congress and is co-chairman of the Congressional
Progressive Caucus.
"I would cut off aid but
engage in intense diplomacy in Egypt and in the region to try to say,
look, we will restore aid when you stop the bloodshed in the street and
set up a path towards democracy that you were on before," Ellison said.
"In my mind, there's no way to say that this was not a coup. It is. We
should say so. And then follow our own law, which says we cannot fund
the coup leaders."
Among Republicans, there were growing calls to eliminate military aid to Egypt. But others were more hesitant.
Rep.
Pete King, R-N.Y., said curtailing aid could reduce U.S. influence over
Egypt's interim government, which controls access to strategic
resources, including the Suez Canal.
"We certainly shouldn't cut off all aid," said King, who chairs the House panel on counterterrorism and intelligence.
King
said there are no good choices in Egypt. Ousted President Mohammed
Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was democratically elected.
But, King said, the group has not demonstrated a commitment to
democracy.
"The fact is, there's no good guys
there," King said. "But of the two, I think there is more opportunity to
protect American interests if we work with the military and continue
our relationship with the military."
The split
among members of the same political party illustrates the uncertainty
facing President Barack Obama as he tries to navigate volatile
developments in Egypt, where crackdowns last week left more than 600
people dead and thousands more injured.
Obama
has denounced the violence, canceled joint military exercises scheduled
for September and delayed the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets. But
the White House has refused to declare Morsi's removal a coup - a step
that would require Obama to suspend $1.3 billion in annual military aid.
The president insists that the U.S. stands with Egyptians seeking a
democratic government. But he says America cannot determine Egypt's
future.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona renewed
his call Sunday to stop aid as the Egyptian military continues to crack
down on protesters seeking Morsi's return.
"For
us to sit by and watch this happen is a violation of everything that we
stood for," said the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services
Committee. "We're not sticking with our values."
The
military ousted Morsi July 3 after millions of Egyptians took to the
streets to demand he step down, accusing him of giving the Brotherhood
undue influence and failing to implement vital reforms or bolster the
ailing economy.
But Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said he supports the president's approach.
"These
are very, very difficult choices," said Engel, the top Democrat on the
House Foreign Affairs Committee. "I'm very unhappy, obviously, with the
crackdown. But we essentially have two choices in Egypt. And that's a
military government, which hopefully will transition as quickly as
possible to civilian government, or the Muslim Brotherhood. I don't
think the Muslim Brotherhood is a choice."
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said Congress should give the president flexibility in dealing with Egypt.
"I
do believe we have to change our aid," said Reed, a senior member of
the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I think also we have to have
included in the legislation a national security waiver, because we have
to give the president not only the responsibility to deal with the
government of Egypt but also flexibility."
Sen.
Rand Paul, R-Ky., said U.S. aid to Egypt was more likely to "buy a
chateau in Paris" for an Egyptian military leader than "bread in Cairo"
for the poor.
"I don't think we're buying any
friendship with the Egyptian people," Paul said, especially when people
see tanks supplied by the U.S. to the Egyptian military on the streets
of Cairo.
"We are not winning the hearts and
minds of the Egyptian people," said Paul, a member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. "The aid has to end."
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., had resisted calls to cut off aid. But on Sunday, he switched positions.
"I
think we need to look at the tiers of our aid," said Corker, top
Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Let's face it,
most of the aid has gone out the door this year."
Corker said he expects Congress to debate next year's aid this fall, after lawmakers return from their summer recess.
"Look,
I condemn what's happened with the military, but I also condemn what in
essence was a political coup by the Muslim Brotherhood," Corker said.
"And we need to move this debate along and this fall, hopefully, again,
focus on what is our national interests. And there still are things
within Egypt that are very much in our national interest. And we need to
keep the lines of communication open."
McCain
spoke on CNN's "State of the Union," King and Paul made their comments
on "Fox News Sunday," Reed spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press" and Engel,
Ellison and Corker appeared on ABC's "This Week."
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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap
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