The Biden administration had previously withheld some annual funding from Egypt amid scrutiny of its human rights record.

Cairo will receive its full military aid allotment of $1.3 billion after the secretary of state also said it had made progress on releasing political prisoners and protecting Americans.

The Biden administration is overriding human rights conditions on military aid to Egypt, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday, granting the U.S. ally its full allocation of $1.3 billion this year for the first time during this administration,

The US State Department approved sending Egypt $1.3 billion in military financing this year, despite demands on Capitol Hill to withhold about a quarter of that over human rights concerns, as the Biden administration seeks Cairo’s help ending the war in Gaza.

The decision includes the release of $95 million requiring Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s certification that Egypt has made progress on political prisoners and other rights issues.

The Biden administration on Wednesday notified the U.S. Congress that it will provide Egypt with $1.3 billion in military aid, a State Department spokesperson said, the first time since 2020 Egypt will receive the total amount of U.