HESITATING

U.S. Not Ready to Cut Aid to Egypt

Response to violent protests has been tepid.

Egyptians have been demonstrating for three weeks now, but the Obama administration is still weighing its response to the brutal protests that have so far resulted in the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi and the deaths of at least 72 people. Though California’s Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has urged Congress to stop its $1.5 billion worth of annual aid to the embattled country, fellow lawmakers have stayed quiet about suspending assistance. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have both acknowledged the significance and severity of what’s happening in Egypt and expressed concern. And while President Obama himself ordered the delivery of four American fighter planes to the Egyptian Air Force to be halted, he has made clear that there are no plans to cut off the $1.5 billion Feinstein is pushing for.