{"id":2163324,"date":"2024-01-30T17:38:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T22:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-lawmaker-accuses-biden-of-pushing-out-tens-of-millions-in-taxpayer-funding-for-unrwa-just-prior-to-aid-suspension\/"},"modified":"2024-01-30T17:39:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T22:39:50","slug":"gop-lawmaker-accuses-biden-of-pushing-out-tens-of-millions-in-taxpayer-funding-for-unrwa-just-prior-to-aid-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-lawmaker-accuses-biden-of-pushing-out-tens-of-millions-in-taxpayer-funding-for-unrwa-just-prior-to-aid-suspension\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP lawmaker claims Biden pushed out &#8216;millions&#8217; in taxpayer funding for UNRWA before aid suspension"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-lawmaker-accuses-biden-of-pushing-out-tens-of-millions-in-taxpayer-funding-for-unrwa-just-prior-to-aid-suspension%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2163324&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Funding Pause: Millions in Taxpayer Funds Sent to UN Group<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>Rep. Brian Mast (R., Fla.) (Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>The Biden administration\u2064 may have funneled &#8220;tens-of-millions&#8221; in American taxpayer dollars to the United Nations\u2019 Palestinian aid group \u200bbefore announcing \u2063a pause \u200din U.S. contributions \u200cas a result of the organization\u2019s role in \u2062Hamas\u2019s October 7\u2063 terror spree\u2063 in Israel, according to a GOP lawmaker.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration announced on Jan. 26 that it is\u2063 pausing all future\u200b U.S. funding\u200c for the U.N. Relief \u200cand Works Agency (UNRWA) following revelations that at least 12 of \u200dits employees participated in\u2062 Hamas\u2019s slaughter of more \u200bthan 1,200 Jews.\u2062 But \u2063the funding \u2063pause\u2063 may \u200dhave only been put into effect after millions in taxpayer funds were pushed out the door, according to\u200b Rep. Brian Mast (R., Fla.).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It does\u200c appear\u2062 as though they may have waited\u200b to make this announcement until after they\u200c allowed for a disbursement of tens of millions of dollars to go out to UNRWA \u200con or before \u200cJan. 24, and if that\u2019s the\u2062 case it should be\u200d considered outrageous,&#8221; Mast, a member of \u2062the \u2064House\u200d Foreign Affairs\u2063 Committee, said \u2063on \u2063Tuesday afternoon during a hearing on the U.N. organization\u2019s close relationship \u2064with Hamas.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200baddition to\u200d participating in the\u200c October 7\u200d massacre, \u200bUNRWA employees are believed to have \u200dhelped Hamas hide\u200d Israeli captives, and more than 1,000 \u200bmembers of the aid organization are alleged to have ties to the Iran-backed terror group, \u2064according \u2062to\u2064 Israeli government \u2064intelligence that the United \u2062States\u200d has deemed credible.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Intelligence reports\u200d indicate that as many [as] 10\u200d percent of UNRWA workers have direct links to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihadists,&#8221; Mast said during the hearing, which\u2064 drew\u200c protests from pro-Palestinian agitators calling for a ceasefire.<\/p>\n<p>As one \u200bman screamed, &#8220;<strong>Shame on you<\/strong>&#8221; and &#8220;<strong>ceasefire<\/strong>,&#8221; Rep. Chris Smith (R.,\u2063 N.J.) lashed out at the protesters \u2064for disturbing\u200c a closely watched hearing on UNRWA\u2019s decades of \u200dfailure. At least five individuals were\u200c arrested during the hearing.<\/p>\n<p>Experts who testified at the\u2063 hearing disclosed \u2063that UNRWA is not required to submit\u200c its staff, contractors, or beneficiaries to counterterrorism vetting by U.S. authorities. Still, the Biden administration has \u200ballocated more than $1 billion \u200bdollars to\u200b the \u2062group since 2021 and is on track to allocate another $371 million throughout\u2062 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Amid concerns that UNRWA\u200d is poisoned by Hamas, the Biden administration \u200chas\u2064 thus far &#8220;failed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-ncaa-policy-allows-student-athletes-to-benefit-from-their-name-image-and-likeness\/\" title=\"New NCAA Policy Allows Student-Athletes To Benefit From Their Name, Image And Likeness\">provide clarity<\/a> \u200cabout how much of this\u2062 [2024] funding is affected by the pause,&#8221; according to Smith.<\/p>\n<p>Richard Goldberg, a\u2062 former Senate staffer who served on the White \u200dHouse national security council,\u2064 said the\u200b latest \u2064controversy surrounding UNRWA can be\u2062 traced back to years \u200dof faulty oversight \u2064by multiple U.S. \u200dadministrations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As it stands\u200c today, UNRWA is not required to submit\u2063 its staff, contractors, or\u200b beneficiaries\u2064 for counterterrorism vetting,&#8221; Goldberg said in his testimony.\u2064 &#8220;UNRWA need only certify to the\u2064 State Department that it \u2062takes steps to prevent U.S.-provided funding from directly going to individuals who engage in acts of terrorism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And now we sit here,&#8221; \u200dGoldberg added, &#8220;pretending to be shocked to learn that UNRWA is fully \u200ccomplicit in the Hamas terror infrastructure in Gaza\u2014its war crimes and crimes against \u2063humanity? Of course UNRWA\u2019s\u2062 complicit.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mast and several other \u2062of\u200c his GOP colleagues are currently \u2063championing a bill that\u2064 would completely disband UNRWA and\u2064 force the\u2063 U.S. \u200cgovernment to withhold all funding\u2063 until this takes \u2062place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What concerns have been raised about UNRWA&#8217;s ability to carry \u2063out\u200c its mission without supporting terrorism?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  During the hearing. &#8220;This is\u200d not a small number, and\u200b it\u200b raises serious \u200cconcerns about the organization\u2019s ability to\u200c carry out its\u200b mission without supporting \u200dterrorism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>UNRWA, which was established in 1949 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-announces-sanctions-targeting-cuban-leaders\/\" title=\"Biden admin. announces sanctions targeting Cuban leaders\">provide humanitarian assistance<\/a> to Palestinian refugees, has long \u2064faced criticism for its alleged\u2062 bias against Israel and its\u200b links to Hamas. The organization has \u2064been accused of perpetuating \u2063the Palestinian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/refugee-watchdog-calls-for-immediate-action-in-ethiopia\/\" title=\"Refugee Watchdog Calls for Immediate Action in Ethiopia\">refugee crisis<\/a> by allowing the descendants of original refugees to also be \u200bconsidered refugees, thereby maintaining\u2062 a large population that relies on international aid.<\/p>\n<p>The United States had been \u2064the largest contributor to UNRWA, providing\u2063 more \u2064than $350\u2062 million in funding annually. \u200cHowever, in recent years, concerns over mismanagement and the organization&#8217;s alleged\u2063 ties to terrorism have led to calls for \u2063a review of U.S. funding. The October 7 terror attack in Israel, which was carried out by Hamas militants,\u200d further \u200bhighlighted these concerns.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is deeply disturbing that U.S. taxpayer dollars may have been used \u200dto \u200bsupport an organization with ties to terrorism,&#8221; Mast stated. &#8220;The United States must hold UNRWA \u2063accountable for its actions and\u200d ensure that our funds \u200bare \u200dnot being used to support \u2064violence \u2063and terrorism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bBiden \u200dadministration&#8217;s decision to pause funding to UNRWA \u2062is seen as a step towards addressing these concerns. However, the\u200d timing of the announcement\u200c has raised questions\u2062 about whether the \u200cadministration was aware of the organization&#8217;s links\u2064 to terrorism before disbursing taxpayer funds.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If \u200cit is true that \u200btaxpayer funds \u2063were sent to UNRWA \u200bdespite\u2064 knowledge of its ties to terrorism, it would be a serious\u200d breach of trust,&#8221;\u2063 Mast emphasized. &#8220;The American people deserve transparency \u2062and accountability when it\u2062 comes to how their \u200btax dollars are being spent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As\u2064 calls for a full investigation into UNRWA&#8217;s funding and activities grow, \u200dlawmakers are urging the administration to reassess its relationship with the Palestinian aid group.\u200e They \u2063argue that the United States should\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-wades-into-terms-second-major-fight-against-the-administrative-state\/\" title=\"Supreme Court tackles second major battle against administrative state this term\">seek alternative avenues<\/a> to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees that\u2063 do not support\u200c terrorism or perpetuate the\u200b refugee crisis.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We cannot\u2063 continue to support an organization \u2064that is complicit in terrorism and \u2064fails to address the root\u2063 causes of the refugee crisis,&#8221; Mast asserted. &#8220;It is time for the United States to take a\u200d stand and ensure\u2063 that our aid is \u200bpromoting peace and stability\u2063 in the region.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration sent &#8220;tens-of-millions&#8221; in taxpayer funds to the UN&#8217;s Palestinian aid group before halting contributions due to its role. Rep. Brian Mast (R., Fla.) raised concerns about the funding pause, questioning the timing of the decision after the money had already been sent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":2163325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/rsz_gettyimages-959235074.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2163324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/rsz_gettyimages-959235074.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2163324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2163324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2163324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2163325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2163324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2163324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2163324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}