Gregg Roman
Commentary Magazine, April 2025
“According to a Senate Finance Committee report, the evangelical charity World Vision has received nearly $2 billion in USAID grants—and facilitated a sub-grant to the Islamic Relief Agency, an al-Qaeda group designated for terrorist financing.”
The world should shudder to discover that America’s foreign aid—long intended to uplift those in need overseas—has instead nourished extremists who despise the United States. On February 26, I appeared before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) to expose evidence of these betrayals. Far from a mere policy dispute, the misuse of U.S. assistance I documented underscores the magnitude of the negligence and, in certain instances, possible criminal collusion within our humanitarian apparatus. During the hearing, which featured pointed exchanges between subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), it became clear that certain federal programs, especially those under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have strayed far from their original mission.
More than once, the session erupted in arguments over whether the Biden administration’s policies had inadvertently or deliberately financed radical agendas across the globe. Witnesses included policy analysts, a journalist, and former federal officials. Stansbury lamented what she called “carnage,” “gutting,” and “global realignment” allegedly forced by the new administration’s approach to foreign assistance. Nevertheless, as the hearing progressed, a common thread emerged from multiple testimonies: Federal foreign aid has funded an array of extremist-aligned groups overseas—often at odds with American interests. Greene underscored that the subcommittee would consider criminal referrals if it emerged that U.S. aid had directly abetted terrorist attacks on Americans, declaring that “if USAID funded terrorism that resulted in the death of Americans, then this committee will be making criminal referrals.” Such a stance highlights how severe these findings are.
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For decades, the American tradition of foreign aid has been grounded in moral responsibility and strategic ambition. The United States believed it was helping to fight poverty, foster stability, and keep potential adversaries at bay. However, the hearing and subsequent revelations confirm what the Middle East Forum’s research has shown for years: Entrenched bureaucrats within USAID and prior administrations have created a labyrinth of sub-grants and sub-sub-grants through which money flows nearly unchecked. Billions of dollars have been lumped under a category called “miscellaneous foreign awardees,” thwarting public scrutiny. Supposed vetting mechanisms exist, but they are poorly enforced or subverted by an ideological agenda. Whistleblowers have identified repeated “expedited approvals” that circumvent standard checks if an official or NGO manager believes that it serves an urgent political or social end….SOURCE