S. 2477 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2477 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 17, 2014 Mr. Paul introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To prohibit certain foreign assistance to the Government of Egypt as a result of the July 3, 2013, military coup d'état. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Egyptian Military Coup Act of 2014. 2. Foreign assistance restrictions in response to Egyptian military coup d'état (a) Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) On June 30, 2012, Mohamed Morsi was elected President of Egypt in elections that were certified as free and fair by the Egyptian Presidential Election Commission and the United Nations. (2) On July 3, 2013, the military of Egypt removed the democratically elected President of Egypt, arrested his supporters, and suspended the Constitution of Egypt. These actions fit the definition of a military coup d'état. (3) On August 14, 2013, Egyptian security forces killed over 600 protestors in the dispersal of a demonstration in Rabaa, Egypt. (4) Since the July 2013 military coup d'état, the Egyptian military and security officials are estimated to have killed more than 1,000 Egyptian citizen protestors. (5) On January 17, 2014, President Barack Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113–76), which included language in section 7041(a) that conditioned economic assistance to the Government of Egypt on concrete and measurable actions to restore democracy to the citizens of Egypt. (6) On April 23, 2014, President Obama approved the transfer of 10 AH–64 Apache Helicopters and $650,000,000 in financial aid to the military-controlled Government of Egypt. (7) On April 28, 2014, a court in Egypt sentenced 683 Egyptian citizens to death for protests in the town of Edwa, Egypt, following a five-minute hearing that was not long enough to recite the full names of the accused. (8) On May 5, 2014, Former Army Chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who led Egyptian military forces in the coup d’état against a ruling party that was elected with 51.7 percent of the vote, said on Egyptian television that, if elected, the previous ruling political party would not exist. (9) On May 6, 2014, a court in Egypt banned members of the National Democratic Party from participating in any Presidential, parliamentary, or local elections. (10) Pursuant to section 7008 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Act, 2012 (division I of Public Law 112–74; 125 Stat. 1195), the United States is legally prohibited from providing foreign assistance to any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by a military coup d'état, or removed in such a way that the military plays a decisive role. (11) The United States has suspended aid to countries that have undergone military coups d'état in the past, including the Ivory Coast, the Central African Republic, Thailand, Mali, Fiji, and Honduras. (b) Foreign assistance to the Government of Egypt (1) Restrictions on assistance under section 7008 In accordance with section 7008 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Act, 2012 (division I of Public Law 112–74; 125 Stat. 1195), the United States Government, including the Department of State, shall refrain from providing to the Government of Egypt the assistance restricted under such section. (2) Additional restrictions In addition to the restrictions referred to in paragraph (1), the following restrictions shall be in effect with respect to United States assistance to the Government of Egypt: (A) Deliveries of defense articles currently slated for transfer to Egyptian Ministry of Defense (MOD) and Ministry of Interior (MOI) shall be suspended until the President certifies to Congress that democratic national elections have taken place in Egypt followed by a peaceful transfer of power. (B) Provision of defense services to Egyptian MOD and MOI shall be halted immediately until the President certifies to Congress that democratic national elections have taken place in Egypt followed by a peaceful transfer of power. (C) Processing of draft Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs) for future arms sales to Egyptian MOD and MOI entities shall be halted until the President certifies to Congress that democratic national elections have taken place in Egypt followed by a peaceful transfer of power. (D) All costs associated with the delays in deliveries and provision of services required under subparagraphs (A) through (C) shall be borne by the Government of Egypt.