Darrell Issa: “I reluctantly come, as many of my colleagues, probably this is as close to a 50-50 vote as we are normally going to have…”

“I reluctantly come, as many of my colleagues, probably this is as close to a 50-50 vote as we are normally going to have on this floor, to oppose this amendment, not because many of the points being made are not accurate, but because in 1998, Egypt and the United States agreed to a 10-year economic assistance phase-down. We agreed between our two nations to a long-term change in what had been the 1979 peace agreement. We need to be a nation that keeps our promises or renegotiates in good faith. It should not be done unilaterally from this body. What I would say is, if, as I hope and will vote this is defeated, we should all work together to find new ways to ensure that Egypt has the assets and the impetus to do 100 percent successful sealing of the Gaza border, and particularly the tunnels that have been so troublesome. I look forward to working with both sides of the aisle after this vote to make that happen.”