Report Exposes USAID’s Millions Flowing to Terror-Linked Groups [WATCH]

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) approved millions in funding for organizations with ties to designated terrorist groups, according to a report released by the Middle East Forum, a U.S.-based think tank.

The report, published on February 4, details how federal dollars were allocated to extremist-linked groups through aid programs, raising concerns over government oversight and accountability.

A new multi-year study of USAID and State Department spending has uncovered $164 million of approved grants to radical organizations.

$122 million went to groups aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters.

Here are some examples. They’re horrifying:

— Sam Westrop (@samwestrop) February 2, 2025

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The Middle East Forum’s investigation found that USAID and the State Department approved $164 million in grants for radical groups, with at least $122 million going to organizations tied to designated terrorists and their supporters.

“Billions more of federal dollars have been given to leading American aid charities which have consistently failed to vet their terror-tied local partners, and show little interest in improving their practices, to the apparent indifference of the federal government,” the report states.

The findings primarily focus on USAID and State Department funding that ended up in the hands of extremist organizations, including those operating in Gaza and the West Bank.

One of the most striking examples cited in the report is the funding of Bayader Association for Environment and Development, a Gaza-based NGO that received more than $900,000 from USAID.

USAID handed almost $1million to Bayader, a Gaza charity operating under the son of Hamas terror leader Ismail Haniyeh. USAID officials even visited their offices in Gaza to do photo-ops (see pic) pic.twitter.com/Itw23UzaQz

— Sam Westrop (@samwestrop) February 2, 2025

The funding began in 2016, with the latest allocation made just days before Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Bayader describes itself as a civil society group, but the Middle East Forum’s report highlights its close ties to the Hamas regime.

“Founded in 2007, shortly after Hamas’s takeover of the Gaza Strip, Bayader operates in close cooperation with the Hamas regime.

Its 2021 annual report notes ‘coordination’ and ‘meetings’ with Hamas’s Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture,” the report states.

According to the report, USAID coordinated directly with Bayader, and U.S. officials visited its offices.

One USAID senior official, Jonathan Kamin, even received an award from the organization, further raising concerns about the agency’s vetting process.

The report also found that in 2024, USAID approved a $12.5 million grant to the American Near East Refugee Agency (ANERA), which has long-standing ties to Bayader.

The report states that ANERA staffers have publicly expressed anti-Israel and antisemitic views on social media, including:

• Calling on God to “erase the Jews.”
• Expressing support for “brave prisoners” in Israeli jails.
• Describing the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack as a “beautiful morning.”

Sam Westrop, director of Middle East Forum’s counter-extremism project, summarized the findings on X, writing that the examples were “horrifying.”

“USAID won’t even tell us how much they gave the Unlimited Friends Association, a Gaza terror charity which operates with help from Hamas.  The head of the charity promises to ‘cleanse’ their land of ‘impure Jews,’” Westrop wrote.

USAID won’t even tell us how much they gave the Unlimited Friends Association, a Gaza terror charity which operates with help from Hamas.

The head of the charity promises to “cleanse” their land of “impure Jews.” pic.twitter.com/Yn4rHLBVLf

— Sam Westrop (@samwestrop) February 2, 2025

In another post, he stated:

“USAID gave millions to Islamic Relief, whose Gaza branch openly works with senior terrorist officials in Gaza, including Hamas politburo member Ghazi Hamad, who promised that Hamas would repeat October 7 attacks ‘time and again until Israel is annihilated.’”

USAID gave millions to Islamic Relief, whose Gaza branch openly works with senior terrorist officials in Gaza, including Hamas politburo member Ghazi Hamad. who promised that Hamas would repeat Oct 7 attacks “time and again until Israel is annihilated.” pic.twitter.com/8EbRsnOc6f

— Sam Westrop (@samwestrop) February 2, 2025

USAID has also been linked to funding Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA), an organization that was designated a global terrorist entity by the U.S. Treasury in 2004 due to its financial ties to Osama bin Laden.

The report found that in 2015, USAID granted ISRA $125,000—despite its known terrorist connections.

The findings come as the Trump administration intensifies scrutiny of USAID’s spending practices.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has launched an investigation into the agency’s funding of extremist-linked groups.

USAID is currently led by interim director and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced plans to restructure or shut down the agency.

On February 4, USAID stated on its website that most personnel will be placed on leave by Friday, except for a few overseeing “mission-critical functions.”

Lawmakers and investigative reports have previously criticized USAID’s spending, citing questionable projects such as a version of “Sesame Street” in Iraq and pottery classes in Morocco.

The agency, established in 1961 under the Kennedy administration, operates as an independent body within the State Department.

However, Rubio confirmed in a February 3 letter to Congress that USAID’s future is uncertain.

“In consultation with Congress, USAID may move, reorganize, and integrate certain missions, bureaus, and offices into the Department of State, and the remainder of the Agency may be abolished consistent with applicable law,” Rubio wrote.

Meanwhile, Musk has been vocal on social media, calling USAID a “criminal organization” and stating that it is “time for it to die.”

 

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