WASHINGTON The ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said on Friday he had asked the U.S. State Department to "pause" a portion of U.S. military financing to Egypt that is conditioned on human rights criteria.

"Congress needs more clarity from @StateDept on how concerns about treatment of political prisoners, journalists, as well as the rule of law are being tackled in our bilateral relationship," Representative Gregory Meeks said in a statement released on X, formerly known as Twitter.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alison Williams)