A US Congressman, Scott Perry, has alleged that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been funding terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram.
Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, made the claim on Thursday during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency. The hearing, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on allegations of misappropriated taxpayer funds.
“Who gets some of that money? Your money, $697 million annually, plus shipments of cash funds, is going to Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS-Khorasan, and terrorist training camps,” Perry stated.
According to the subcommittee’s website, it aims to work with former President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to investigate fraud, waste, and improper payments within the government.
Perry also referenced USAID’s reported $136 million expenditure for building 120 schools in Pakistan, alleging there was “zero evidence” of any schools being constructed.
He further criticized USAID’s funding of women’s education programs in Afghanistan, arguing that the Taliban’s restrictions on women made such initiatives ineffective. “You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID,” he declared.
The allegations align with Trump’s previous calls for the closure of USAID, labeling the agency corrupt. Trump’s administration, along with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk—who was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency—has pushed for shrinking the US government.
Musk has also accused USAID of being a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists” and claimed it engaged in “rogue CIA work” and funded controversial research.
The claims by Perry and the Trump administration are expected to spark further debate over US foreign aid policies and their impact on global security.
