Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has attributed Egypt’s intensifying suppression of press freedom directly to the decision by the Trump administration to lift human rights restrictions on military funding. The administration waived conditions on approximately $320 million in defense assistance during September, citing Egypt’s strategic importance to US national security interests and its assistance in negotiations related to regional security matters.
The timing of the waiver coincided with a series of arrests targeting journalists at independent news outlets in Egypt, a country where most major media outlets are under government control. Earlier this month, authorities arrested six journalists at the fact-checking platform Matsda2sh and charged them with belonging to an outlawed organization. Additionally, a Cairo court ordered the closure of the news website Madr Masa and imposed a fine on its editor-in-chief. International observers, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, have characterized these actions as among the most severe restrictions on press freedoms seen in the country.
US law permits withholding up to $320 million of the annual $1.73 billion military aid package to Egypt based on human rights and democracy benchmarks. However, presidents can waive these conditions on national security grounds. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked this authority, citing Egypt’s role following recent military operations and its assistance in diplomatic negotiations. A similar waiver was granted by the prior administration in 2024, though under earlier leadership military aid had been partially withheld over human rights concerns.
Murphy and policy analysts have argued that the removal of conditions signals to Egyptian authorities that the United States will prioritize strategic relations over accountability for human rights abuses. The Egyptian government, under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, maintains that security and stability are paramount, and it denies holding political prisoners. The State Department stated it maintains ongoing dialogue with Cairo on various matters but declined to comment on private diplomatic discussions.
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