Staff Reports
Republican lawmakers are up in arms with the Biden administration for dishing out cash to a group tied to terrorism even as it was being probed by a government watchdog. The U.S. Agency for International Development funneled $78,000 to Helping Hand for Relief and Development in October 2023, a move that has left legislators fuming. Despite USAID’s inspector general looking into a previous $110,000 grant to the Michigan-based charity in 2021, the administration still opted to hand over more taxpayer dollars to the group.
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Senators slammed the decision, with Sen. John Barrasso calling for an immediate inquiry into why the administration continued to provide funds to an organization reportedly associating with terrorists. Sen. Joni Ernst labeled the move as “unbelievable” and “fundamentally un-American,” emphasizing that it’s high time to hold USAID accountable for their misuse of taxpayer money.
This frustration among senators has been building up for more than a year now. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul had previously urged USAID Administrator Samantha Power to suspend the 2021 grant due to “credible allegations” about the group’s association with designated terrorist organizations. The recent grant to Helping Hand for Relief and Development has only fueled the lawmakers’ determination to exercise more oversight over federal grants, viewed by senior staffers as an opportunity to address the ongoing issues within the federal grants system.
What’s even more concerning to the Republicans is the charity’s ties to terrorist groups, such as Pakistan’s Falah-e-Insaniat and Jamaat-e-Islami. The organization claims to be a humanitarian relief and development group, but its connections to groups like Hamas have raised red flags among the lawmakers.
Sen. Marco Rubio echoed these sentiments, stressing that under no circumstances should taxpayer dollars go to organizations sympathizing with terrorist groups. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and a spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz also expressed their dismay, emphasizing the administration’s misstep in continuing to fund organizations linked to terrorism, particularly amid ongoing investigations.
With the Republican lawmakers on the warpath, the pressure is on the Biden administration to come clean on why the decision was made to award funds to a group under investigation for its ties to terrorist organizations. The outrage displayed by these senators highlights the growing discontent with what they perceive as the administration’s reckless handling of taxpayer money.
