US: We're Not Cutting All Aid to Egypt

The White House is refuting reports from last night that it's leaving Egypt swinging in the wind, with a National Security Council spokeswoman today telling Politico that "the reports that we are halting all military assistance to Egypt are false." She added: "We will announce the future of our assistance relationship with Egypt in the coming days," but as President Obama made clear in his speech last month to the United Nations General Assembly, "that assistance relationship will continue." CNN, citing a US official, had reported the Obama administration is about to stop giving financial aid to Egypt after an "accumulation of events," including government clashes with protesters that left 38 dead on Sunday. (More than 500 were estimated dead in just one day of violence in August.)

However, Politico notes, a follow-up Reuters story also citing a US official claimed most military aid would be withheld, but counterterror efforts would still be funded; the spokesperson would not comment on that report and simply promised clarification "in the coming days," adding that an "assistance relationship will continue." Some reports said Washington quietly cut off military aid to Egypt a couple of months ago, with Saudi Arabia picking up the slack. (More Egypt stories.)