Written by Michael Anderson.
Recent court documents reveal that the Biden administration covertly channeled $896 million of U.S. taxpayer money to Hamas terrorists in the past few months. This staggering amount has sparked outrage and concern. A lawsuit filed in December 2022 by Rep. Ronny Jackson and victims of terror attacks in Israel claims that President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken “knowingly and unlawfully” provided more than $1.5 billion in aid to Gaza and the West Bank since taking office. According to the lawsuit, Biden and Blinken have long been aware that U.S. aid supports Hamas’ tunnels, rockets, weapons, and command infrastructure.
Since October 7, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided over $674 million in “humanitarian aid” to Gaza. Additionally, USAID announced another $100 million for Gaza on July 11, bringing the total to more than $774 million. The Biden administration has also given $122 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is accused of operating as a Hamas branch in Gaza. This brings the total U.S. aid to Gaza since October 7 to nearly $896 million.
The overlap between UNRWA and Hamas has been an open secret for years, but it became fully public only after the October 7 attack. Findings revealed that at least 12 UNRWA staff participated in the attack. Most recently, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested that UNRWA terminate the employment of 100 terrorist operatives still working for the organization. “In recent months, Israel has discovered that hundreds of terrorists, members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), have been employed by UNRWA in the Gaza Strip,” Ambassador Amir Weissbrod wrote to UNRWA.
Legal Battles and Continued Aid
The lawsuit brought by Rep. Ronny Jackson in December 2022, updated in March 2024, accuses Biden and Blinken of knowingly providing over $1.5 billion in aid to Gaza and the West Bank. Despite the administration’s attempts to dismiss the case, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled on June 28 that the lawsuit can proceed. The court found evidence that the administration continued awarding taxpayer money to UNRWA even after Congress blocked funding due to its support for Hamas’ military infrastructure.
The Biden administration has justified this aid as humanitarian assistance for people in extreme need. However, reports from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (ICP), a UN-affiliated body, published in June, concluded that there is no famine in Gaza. The supply of food has actually increased in recent months. The UN also admitted that there have only been 32 deaths from malnutrition in Gaza, with 28 among children under five.
Despite these facts, the administration has prioritized aid to Gaza over other regions with more severe humanitarian crises. The US World Food Program (US WFP) reports that nearly 350 million people worldwide are experiencing extreme hunger, with 49 million on the brink of famine. The Biden administration’s allocation of funds to Gaza, where 2 million people live, contrasts sharply with its aid to countries like Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which face severe food shortages.
Misplaced Priorities and Dangerous Consequences
Sudan, with 26 million people facing extreme hunger, has received only $280 million in aid from the Biden administration in fiscal year 2024. The New York Times reported last month that at least 750,000 people in Sudan are on the brink of starvation due to a devastating civil war. Similarly, the DRC, where 23.4 million people face starvation, received $424 million from June 2023 to June 2024. In comparison, Gaza, with 2 million residents, has received nearly $900 million.
This disparity raises serious questions about the administration’s priorities. Hamas, an Iranian proxy, has been receiving substantial support from Iran, which funds Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad annually. The Biden administration has enabled these donations by offering Iran sanctions waivers worth $10 billion. FBI director Christopher Wray warned that “the actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate years ago.”
Iran, labeled the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism by the 2023 US Terrorism Report, continues to call the US “the Great Satan” and vows “Death to America.” Despite these threats, Secretary of State Blinken casually announced that Iran had reduced the time needed to create sufficient fissile material for a nuclear weapon “to one to two weeks.” This statement starkly contrasts with his claim that the Biden administration has been “maximizing pressure on Iran across the board.”
Our Take
The Biden administration’s decision to allocate nearly $900 million to Gaza under the guise of humanitarian aid while ignoring more pressing humanitarian crises is deeply troubling. This approach not only undermines the credibility of U.S. foreign aid but also indirectly supports terrorism. The administration’s actions appear to prioritize political agendas over genuine humanitarian needs, which is a dangerous precedent.
This policy of funneling aid to a terrorist-controlled region, while countries like Sudan and the DRC face severe hunger crises, is not only misguided but also harmful to global stability. It emboldens terrorist groups and undermines efforts to promote peace and security. Congress must urgently address this issue and ensure that U.S. foreign aid is used to genuinely alleviate suffering and support those in dire need, rather than bolstering terrorist organizations.