◼ The Obama administration notified Congress on Friday that it intends to give Egypt’s new government an emergency cash infusion of $450 million, but the move immediately encountered resistance from lawmakers wary of foreign aid in general and of Egypt’s new course under the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood. - Steven Lee Myers/NYT
The aid is part of $1 billion in assistance that the Obama administration has pledged to Egypt to bolster its economy and its transition to democracy following the overthrow last year of Hosni Mubarak, the country’s autocratic president.
Its fate, however, was clouded because of concerns over some of the new government’s policies and its handling of anti-American protests two weeks ago that overwhelmed the American Embassy in Cairo.
The United States Agency for International Development notified Congress of the cash infusion on Friday morning, prompting renewed protests over the foreign aid and the administration’s handling of crises spreading across the Islamic world.
