• USAID’s funding practices have been criticized for years due to its inadequate vetting processes and tendency to support organizations with extremist ties. Recent examples include grants to charities operating in Gaza controlled by Hamas.
• The scandal extends globally, with USAID funding charities like Islamic Relief, which has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and Helping Hand for Relief and Development, which collaborates with Pakistani terrorist organizations.
• The State Department, which oversees USAID, has been complicit in the lack of oversight, sometimes actively undermining efforts to hold terror-linked organizations accountable.
• The report demands a comprehensive investigation into USAID’s funding practices and calls for reforms including stricter vetting, public oversight and transparency, to prevent taxpayer money from funding terrorism.

In a shocking revelation that underscores the depths of government waste and corruption, a new report from the Middle East Forum’s Focus on Western Islamism has uncovered that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has funneled at least 164 million in taxpayer dollars to radical organizations, including 122 million to groups with direct ties to designated terrorist organizations like Hamas. This scandal is not just a case of bureaucratic incompetence—it’s a betrayal of American values and a direct threat to national security.

USAID’s troubling history of funding terror-linked charities

For years, watchdog groups have warned about USAID’s lax vetting processes and its propensity to fund organizations with extremist ties. The latest report confirms these fears, revealing that USAID has approved millions of dollars in grants to charities operating in Gaza that are controlled by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

One such charity, the Bayader Association for Environment and Development, received $901,203 from USAID between 2016 and 2023. Shockingly, the most recent grant was issued just six days before Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, which left 1,200 dead and 250 taken hostage. Bayader operates in close cooperation with the Hamas regime, and USAID officials have even visited its offices, praising its work on social media.

Another major recipient of USAID funds is the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), which has received over $109 million from the agency. ANERA has long been accused of supporting extremists tied to Hamas, including partnerships with the Unlimited Friends Association (UFA), a Hamas proxy organization. UFA openly promotes anti-Semitic rhetoric and hosts events to support the families of Hamas “martyrs.”

Global network of terror financing

The problem extends far beyond Gaza. USAID has also funded organizations like Islamic Relief, a global charity with deep ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. Despite being banned or blacklisted in multiple countries for its extremist connections, Islamic Relief has received $2 million in USAID grants. In 2022, the charity partnered with senior Hamas officials in Gaza, including politburo member Ghazi Hamad.

Similarly, the Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), the overseas aid arm of the Islamic Circle of North America, has collaborated with Pakistani terrorist organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba. HHRD’s chief partner in Pakistan, the Al-Khidmat Foundation, openly finances Hamas and has described its donations as supporting “just Jihad.”

Even major international charities like World Vision, which has received nearly $2 billion in USAID grants since 2008, have been implicated in terror financing. In 2022, an Israeli court convicted World Vision’s Gaza operations manager, Mohammad Halabi, of diverting 50 million to Hamas. Despite this, USAID continues to fund World Vision, approving $200 million in grants in 2024 alone.

State Department’s complicity

The rot doesn’t stop at USAID. The State Department, which oversees the agency, has failed to enforce proper oversight, allowing taxpayer dollars to flow to terror-linked organizations with minimal scrutiny. In some cases, State Department officials have actively undermined efforts to hold these groups accountable.

For example, during the Biden administration, USAID staffers reportedly urged the State Department to end military aid to Israel, even as Hamas continued its attacks. Former USAID Administrator Samantha Power refused to meet with Israel’s ambassador unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas, directly contradicting White House policy.

This culture of appeasement and negligence has allowed organizations like the Tides Foundation, which funds anti-Semitic campus protests, to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants. The Tides Foundation has also bankrolled groups like Samidoun, which provides financial support to terrorists.

Call for accountability and reform

The revelations in the Focus on Western Islamism report demand immediate action. Congress must launch a full investigation into USAID’s funding practices and the State Department’s role in enabling this corruption. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has long been a vocal critic of terror financing, should lead this effort.

Reforms must include comprehensive vetting for all grantees and sub-grantees, public oversight of funding decisions, and greater transparency in USAID’s operations. Organizations receiving federal funds should be required to disclose detailed information about their staff, partners, and activities.

The American people deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent—and they deserve assurance that their money is not funding terrorism. This scandal is a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked government spending and the urgent need for accountability.

As the report concludes, “Over a year after the October 7 attacks, Hamas-aligned charities and associated Islamist institutions continue to operate in the U.S. without fear of prosecution, despite clear ties to foreign terror organizations and violations of material support laws.”

It’s time to put an end to this madness. The security of our nation—and the integrity of our government—depends on it.

Sources include:

TheExpose.com

TheCityJournal.org

MosaicMagazine.com