Sen. Paul Re-Introduces Egypt Aid Amendment

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) re-introduced an amendment today “that will end Egyptian aid or at least delay Egyptian foreign aid until they relinquish this persecution of [American] citizens,” referencing the American NGO workers who are still facing charges from Egypt. Paul brings up his concern about the diplomatic immunity that Interpol boasts in the U.S., and argues that when coupled with the extradition treaty with Egypt, he is “alarmed.” ”I find it incredibly insulting that we’re sending them $2 billion in aid and they’re putting out international warrants,” Paul said. “Interpol is not supposed to be involved in political persecution so this is troubling to me.”

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) did not support Paul’s amendment, describing it as “unwise,” and predicting that it “would not succeed;” McCain was correct. Paul introduced the amendment to a bill meant to keep the U.S. Postal Service from falling into bankruptcy, and was immediately blocked by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) who said Paul had left him with “absolutely no alternative but to fill the amendment tree and make sure that we stick to the subject of postal reform.”