WASHINGTON — Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is main a bunch of two dozen Republican lawmakers urging President Trump to “totally dismantle UNRWA” and eradicate it from the United Nations’ finances, The Submit can reveal.
Cotton and the 24 GOP senators wrote a letter to the president Monday highlighting current findings from a federal watchdog about UN Aid and Works Company workers who participated with Hamas within the Oct. 7, 2023, bloodbath in Israel or had been in any other case affiliated with the phobia group.
“Any help group in Gaza or in any other case should be demonstrably freed from ties to terrorism and dedicated to transparency, accountability, and peace,” the Republicans wrote.
“We should make sure the failed system doesn’t proceed reinforcing the circumstances which have fueled terrorism for generations. The time to behave is now.”
Trump signed an govt order in February 2025 stopping US funding to UNRWA, which had acquired as much as $1.5 billion through the Biden administration.
Congressional appropriators are additionally proposing a complete UN funding minimize of $1.8 billion this 12 months, along with nixing American tax {dollars} from going to any group that doesn’t cooperate with a federal watchdog’s investigation of UNRWA.
However the US remains to be funding UNRWA not directly by giving taxpayer {dollars} to the UN, which sends alongside roughly $70 million from its annual finances to the Palestinian help company. Lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} extra are pledged individually by nations.
The UN has additionally requested billions of {dollars} extra this 12 months as a part of a $71.4 billion package deal for restoration and reconstruction within the Gaza Strip. US taxpayer funding to the UN company has been flagged for being vulnerable to being diverted to terror teams, previous federal watchdog findings present.
The Submit first reported on the US Company for Worldwide Improvement Workplace of Inspector Normal “increasing” an investigation into greater than 100 UNRWA workers’ potential terror ties.
USAID OIG has already submitted the names of 21 UNRWA workers for suspension or debarment from receiving additional US taxpayer cash — after uncovering faculty principals, academics and social employees with the UN company who facilitated or participated within the Hamas assault.
The unnamed staffers had been “alleged to have participated within the holding of civilian hostages kidnapped from Israel and/or the terrorist actions in Israel on October 7, 2023,” an April 30 investigative abstract from the IG’s workplace acknowledged.
The DOJ and FBI have been probing allegations that UNRWA workers assisted Hamas as nicely, in accordance with two sources aware of the matter.
The Republicans cited the findings of their letter, arguing additional that UNRWA amenities had been used to stockpile weapons for the phobia group and conceal its tunnel infrastructure.
Co-signers of the letter embrace Sens. Invoice Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Tim Scott (R-SC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hoeven (R-ND), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-NC), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Senate Republican convention chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).
The Submit reached out to the White Home for remark. Reps for UNRWA didn’t reply to a request for remark.
