US shifts Egypt aid to other countries

The Barack Obama administration shifted more than $100 million earmarked for Egypt to other countries earlier this year amid growing frustration with Cairo, Al-Monitor has learned.

The previously undisclosed reallocation is a signal of Washington's impatience with the Egyptian government's refusal to work with US aid organizations. The late spring transfer came as House members officially requested that the State Department transfer some of Egypt's funding to Tunisia, which some lawmakers view as more deserving of US assistance following its fledgling transition to democracy.

"The US government redirected $108 million in planned assistance funding from Egypt to other countries due to continued government of Egypt process delays that have impeded the effective implementation of several programs," a State Department official told Al-Monitor in an emailed statement. "These funds have been redirected according to other priorities and needs."

The reallocation represents more than two-thirds of the $150 million in annual economic assistance that the State Department has requested for Egypt in recent years. The State Department's much larger allocation of $1.3 billion in annual military aid remains untouched, however.