US senators subtracted $5 million from aid provided to Egypt on Wednesday, to reimburse the US Treasury for money it paid to bail out American pro-democracy activists facing charges there earlier this year.
"I'll be darned if I am going to give them (the Egyptian government) that money," Leahy said.
The total value of US aid to Egypt is around $1.7 billion per year.
The Senate foreign aid subcommittee approved a total of $52.1 billion for the State Department and US foreign aid for the 2013 fiscal year that starts in October.
That was $2.6 billion below the Obama administration's request. House appropriators recently approved even less money - $48.3 billion.
In late December, the Cairo offices of at least five non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were raided by officials from Egypt’s public prosecution office backed by police and military personnel.
Egyptian authorities are still conducting investigations into local and foreign employees who worked for Cairo-based NGOs in receipt of overseas funding.
