American taxpayer money might have been given to terrorist groups through a non-profit, according to a letter released on Friday from Congressman and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s (HFAC) Chairman wrote a letter (pdf) to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) administrator, Samantha Power, expressing his concerns about the latter awarding a grant of $110,000 to a non-profit with alleged ties to terrorism.
McCaul expressed concerns over “credible” and “longstanding, detailed allegations” that the non-profit Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) was not properly reviewed for its alleged ties to terrorist groups, terror financiers, and extremist groups.
The Foreign Affairs Committee had given information on the matter to USAID from May 2022, but USAID’s response at that time was not addressing the allegations against the grantee, according to McCaul.
The Epoch Times reached out to USAID for comments.
HFAC subsequently asked for a briefing from USAID but no action was taken, so the committee had to make a public request to USAID on Nov. 2022 for an explanation of the grant.
The briefing took place on Jan. 11, 2023, and according to McCaul, it made clear that USAID failed to take any action to investigate the allegations or to suspend the award despite being provided with detailed information on the matter.
“Shockingly, one of the subject-matter experts in the briefing acknowledged that he had only been made aware of the matter the week before,” McCaul writes.
“USAID attempted to defend itself by claiming it had forwarded information provided by the committee to USAID’s Office of Inspector General. While this would be an appropriate step, it in no way replaces or relieves USAID of its clear responsibility to promptly examine the allegations and to determine if it has been providing taxpayer dollars to an entity linked to designated terrorist organizations. USAID’s gross negligence in handling this matter and its alarming failure to take the allegations seriously are simply unacceptable.”
McCaul asked for an immediate personal review from Power.
If the grant is considered valid after the review, USAID must provide evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on how HHRD is not linked to terrorist groups. USAID should also provide an update to the committee on the progress of the review no later than Jan. 31, and continuous updates thereafter.
Until Feb. 7, USAID should provide the committee with all documents regarding the grant, including documents related to the review and approval process for the grant.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee considers legislation that impacts the diplomatic community, which includes the Department of State, USAID, the Peace Corps, and the United Nations.
McCaul served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security during the 113th, 115th, and 116th Congresses. Prior to Congress, McCaul served as Chief of Counter Terrorism and National Security in the U.S. Attorney’s office, Western District of Texas, and led the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Before being appointed by the Biden administration as USAID administrator, Samantha Power was appointed by the Obama administration as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017.
In 2009, President Obama appointed Power to the National Security Council as special assistant to the president, a position she kept until 2013.
