Amidst current unrest in Egypt, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), yesterday called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to halt the planned delivery of 20 F-16 fighter jets to Egypt.
Senator Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), noted that due to a FY’10 foreign aid appropriations bill concluded during the presidency of Hosni Mubarak, the United States is scheduled to deliver the first four F-16s to Egypt by Jan. 22, 2013.
“In light of President Morsi’s dictatorial decree and absence of promoting promised democracy, the delivery of the F-16 fighter jets must be delayed,” said Inhofe. “The Obama Administration should not be putting top-of-the-line aircraft in the hands of a government that is perpetuating instability in its region and showing aggression towards our ally, Israel. While this agreement for the F-16s was forged two years ago, Egypt’s leadership has since changed hands, leaving open the question as to how this equipment might be used. Until Egypt is able to establish a democratic parliament and ensure stability for its people, I have asked Sec. Clinton to postpone all deliveries of F-16s for further review.”
Republican Jim Inhofe and Democrat Barbara Boxer released dueling videos to their respective audiences at the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar, Thursday.