Sen. Rand Paul Amendment: No F-16s to Egypt

At approximately 12:15 p.m. today, the Senate will vote on Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky) amendment stopping the “sale, lease, transfer, re-transfer, or delivery of F-16 aircraft, M1 tanks, and similar military equipment to the Egyptian government.”

This vote comes on the heels of news that China and North Korea are working with Cairo to modernize its missile systems.

The U.S. had previously negotiated a $1.5 billion arms package with Cairo while Hosni Mubarak was still president. That arms package included 20 F-16s.

Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) asked Obama to delay sending the F-16s, in order to give the Senate time to evaluate what President Morsi was planning to do. Now Sen. Paul thinks it best to stop the sale, lease, transfer, or re-transfer altogether. 

In addition to fighter jets and tanks, Sen. Paul’s amendment bars the sale or lease of “other defense articles or services listed in Category VI, VII, or VIII of the United States Munitions List to Egypt.”