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Breitbart.com
Big Peace
29 Sep 2012
A Republican congresswoman froze a request by the Obama administration for $450 million in cash for the Egyptian government, saying it needed new scrutiny amid rocky US ties with Cairo.
The lawmaker, Kay Granger, from Texas, who chairs the Appropriations Subcommitee on State and Foreign Relations, on Friday put a “hold” on the application, meaning it could be held up indefinitely.
“This proposal comes to Congress at a point when the US-Egypt relationship has never been under more scrutiny, and rightly so,” Granger said in a statement.
“I am not convinced of the urgent need for this assistance and I cannot support it at this time. As Chair of the Subcommittee, I have placed a hold on these funds.”
The purpose of the funds could not be immediately confirmed.
But an official said the money, requested Friday, was part of a package worth $1 billion that Obama pledged to Cairo last year to aid its transition to democracy following its Arab Spring revolution…
The article continues at Big Peace.
Related: President Obama to Cut Health Care for Troops
The Obama administration’s proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers’ benefits untouched. The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare’s state-run insurance exchanges.
The disparity in treatment between civilian and uniformed personnel is causing a backlash within the military that could undermine recruitment and retention…
…No mention has been made of how the money will be kept out of the hands of Al-Qaeda leaders and other Islamists who have been infiltrating the opposition forces for some time.
