WASHINGTON – Congress dealt a defeat yesterday to those hoping to help the victims of genocide in Darfur, Sudan, by voting down an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have provided an additional $50 million in humanitarian aid to the ravaged region.

While humanitarian groups urged House members to focus on the growing crisis in Darfur, the debate was dominated by the state of democracy in Egypt and the act’s impact on Cairo.

Introduced by Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee – largely to send a message to Egypt for its poor human rights record – the amendment would have cut $100 million of the $1.8 billion in economic aid to Egypt and redirected half the sum to global AIDS assistance and the other half to Darfur.

Several congressmen advocated adding more money to the $450 million already allocated for Sudanese assistance in the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill at the expense of funds for Egypt. House members from both sides said, however, that by doing so America would be sending the wrong message to Egypt as it struggles to foster democratic principles and enact human rights reforms.

“Simply by having this debate we are sending already sending the appropriate message,” Rep. John Sweeney, a Republican of New York, said. “The U.S. needs to strive to bring reforms, but this isn’t tough love; this goes far beyond. Reducing aid would not strategically be a smart move.”

The funding debate came days after the Egyptian government called for the suspension of the International Republican Institute, an American-based nongovernmental organization promoting democracy in the region, after the organization criticized the slow pace of reform. It also followed the arrests last month of demonstrators protesting in support of two Egyptian judges who faced disciplinary action after exposing election fraud.

Though they acknowledged Egypt’s role in Middle East peace negotiations, members of the House yesterday brought up a laundry list of the county’s human rights abuses. “The choice we have today is to do nothing and hope with dialogue and cajoling things will improve,” Rep. Gary Ackerman, a Democrat of New York, said, “or we can send a clear message that Congress will not stand by as thugs beat peaceful demonstrators.”

But the appropriations amendment also addressed the humanitarian disaster in Darfur, and House members heard appeals for money to ease Darfurians’ suffering. Though a visit from the president of the Republic of Congo and chairman of the African Union, Sassou Nguesso, to the White House earlier this week bolstered the idea of sending U.N. peacekeeping forces to Sudan, President Bashir told officials of the U.N. Security Council he didn’t want the help.

An estimated 200,000 people have died in the conflict in the past three years, and 2 million people have been displaced.

“I don’t know what the headlines will read tomorrow in Egypt, but I know this: At some point the omniscient will come to question you and where were you when the murder and rape in Darfur was taking place,” Rep. Alexander Green, a Democrat of Texas, said. “This is the least we can do for Darfur. Fifty million dollars will go to the World Food Program, which only has 32% of the money it needs. If not now, when? If not us, who? Who will the help come from?”

Activists for Darfur relief are now pursing two routes to gain more money for the region, according to American Jewish World Service, an international development organization.

The first is the House-Senate Emergency Supplemental bill, which after a legislative conference last night included $100 billion for global humanitarian relief, including $180 million for peacekeeping in Darfur and $225 million more for humanitarian aid, though both sides of Capitol Hill must approve the measure again.The second is the $450 million currently being debated in the House.

Both bills must get past President Bush, however.

“The president said he would veto anything that includes more than he’s asked for, which is $94 billion,” a senior policy associate with AJWS, Jacob Feinspan, said.”We’ve been assured by the president and [Senate Majority Leader] Frist that the Darfur funding is safe, but something is going to have to be cut. At the end of the day, you never really know.”

Other groups say not even the $450 million, the $405 million, or the additional $50 million proposed by Mr. Obey will get the job done in Darfur. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which has several ground operations in neighboring Chad to provide psychological and social services to refugees, maintains more money is needed, not only from America, but also from its allies. (The government of Sudan does not permit Jewish relief organizations to operate in the country.)

“In terms of food rations, people have been cut down to 1,000 calories a day. Something needs to be done so refuges are not living on 1,000 calories a day because it’s not sufficient to help them endure this,” the senior vice president for policy and programs with HIAS, Mark Hetfield, said. “None of it comes close to being sufficient.”