GOP lawmaker: US has lost ‘nearly all credibility’ in Egypt

Her comments came after President Obama canceled joint U.S.-Egypt military exercises in response to a violent military crackdown in which more than 500 people were killed.

{mosads}Obama is under pressure from lawmakers to end the $1.3 billion in foreign aid to the country that has been taken over by the Egyptian military. Ros-Lehtinen reiterated that call, saying foreign aid should be conditional on Egypt making policy decisions that the United States agrees with.

“The U.S. must act responsibly and prioritize our foreign policy objectives in Egypt and the region,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “We must condition all assistance to Egypt in an effort to persuade the interim Egyptian government to act responsibly, to return to the path of democracy and to protect the rights of all Egyptians.

“The United States must take a firm stance and not dither in order to encourage both sides to get back on track toward democracy.”

Ros-Lehtinen has introduced the Egypt Accountability and Democracy Promotion Act, which would make foreign aid to Egypt conditional. H.R. 416 would require the secretary of State to assure Congress every six months that the Egyptian government was not influenced by terrorist organizations, implemented religious freedoms and maintained a peace treaty with Israel.