“This proposal comes to Congress at a point when the U.S.-Egypt relationship has never been under more scrutiny, and rightly so,” she said in a statement according to AP.

The aid is part of $1 billion in assistance that the Obama administration has vowed to Egypt to help its economy and its transition to democracy following the overthrow last year of Hosni Mubarak.

The relationship between the United States and Egypt has been under tension since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak last year.

Furthermore, Egypt was among the countries of the Middle East swept by violent anti-American protests over an anti-Islam video made in California, and some US lawmakers have raised questions about the future of US aid to the region,mainly given sharp budget restraints in the US.

The United States provides Egypt with $1.55 billion annually $250 million in economic aid and $1.3 billion in military aid, according to AP. The US is also backing a $4.8 billion aid package Egypt is seeking with the IMF.

Earlier on Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured Egypt’s new Islamist president Mohamed Morsy in New York that the United States would move ahead with plans to provide Egypt with economic and military assistance despite anti-American protests over the anit-Islamic film .