During a congressional hearing on the deficit for DOGE (Delivering on Government Efficiency) in the US Congress, Gregg Roman, executive director of the conservative think tank Middle East Forum, stated that American tax and aid money has systematically been used to fund a wide range of Islamist terrorist organizations.
During the hearing, which took place earlier in February, Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett wondered if Roman was aware that at the time the US was still sending $40 million a week to Afghanistan and the Taliban – which he also confirmed, explaining that US support for Islamist groups is far more extensive than that.
– We have assisted Al-Shabaab in Somalia, there’s been instances of the Hamzi network in Sudan, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in Syria. Dozens of terror organizations have received indirect assistance from US foreign aid, he elaborated.
Focusing specifically on Gaza, Roman pointed out that since Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the much-criticized USAID has sent $2.1 billion in emergency aid – even though Hamas controls the territory. According to the think tank’s director, normal vetting rules were circumvented by the agency’s use of so-called emergency waivers.
– Waivers were granted because they said that there was an emergency use to have that money come into Gaza, thereby jettisoning the usual, typical screening procedures. As a result, 90 percent of aid that was going from the US by way of its agents in Gaza ended up in Hamas-controlled areas.
– Essentially, what the US assistance to Gaza did was underwrite the ability for Hamas to survive until the ceasefire was just passed a few weeks ago. There was no strategic thought for it and there was no screening, he continued.
“Finance protests and undermine administrations”
According to Gregg Roman, lobbyists have been influencing US politicians and trying to stop greater transparency about where aid money sent abroad actually ends up.
Tim Burchett, a member of the US House of Representatives since 2019 and part of the new House subcommittee overseeing Trump’s DOGE project, has also proposed new legislation to prevent US aid from going to terrorists.
US President Donald Trump has previously chosen to freeze large parts of the American foreign aid provided through USAID – which is also one of the world’s largest government aid organizations.
The Nordic Times has previously highlighted how aid money has not only been used to finance terror and Islamism – but also influence campaigns and subversive activities in other countries.
“At best, maybe 10% of the money reaches real projects that help people in need (there are such cases), but the rest is used to fuel dissent, finance protests, and undermine administrations that refuse to align with the globalist agenda. Cutting this so-called aid isn’t just beneficial for the United States; it’s also a big win for the rest of the world”, declared El Salvador’s outspoken President Nayib Bukele, commenting earlier on USAID’s activities.
