Leahy Vows To Cut U.S. Aid To Egypt Until Unrest Ends

Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt., the Senate Appropriations Committee member responsible for doling out foreign aid says his subcommittee won't approve any more money for Egypt until the current unrest ends.

Leahy had threatened earlier to withhold aid if Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak didn't step down in the wake of the protests. But on Thursday, Leahy expanded on that, telling Congressional Quarterly that money wouldn't flow to Egypt until the political situation there settles down.

The United States gives $1.3 Billion dollars to the Egyptian military each year and another $250 million in economic aid. The president asked for around $1.5 billion for the 2011 fiscal year.

A Leahy spokesman told Fox News, "At the next opportunity, the Congress will certainly look at the situation in Egypt and decide whether (and how much) further U.S. aid should continue."

The spokesman said the White House is now in control of money Congress has previously appropriated for Egypt and went on to said Leahy "has not publicly spelled out how this might proceed."

The next chance Congress will have to act on Egypt funding will come as members deal with finding a replacement for the current Continuing Resolution that keeps the U.S. government functioning through March 4th.

Fox News senior Senate producer Trish Turner contributed to this story.