U.S. Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania has accused the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of funding terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram.
Perry, a Republican, made the allegation during a session of the Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency, held on Thursday, 13th February.
The hearing, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” addressed concerns over the mismanagement of taxpayer funds.
Perry raised questions about the allocation of funds, highlighting the $697 million spent annually by the agency, along with cash shipments to Madrasas and other groups. He pointed out that this money could be funding groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram, as well as terrorist training camps.
Perry said: “Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding.”
The subcommittee’s mission is to work with the Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste, protect vulnerable payment systems, and investigate schemes that defraud taxpayers.
Perry also referred to USAID’s reported allocation of $136 million for the construction of 120 schools in Pakistan, asserting that there was no evidence of the schools being built. He further criticised the Women’s Scholarship Endowment, which receives $60 million annually, and the Young Women Lead initiative, claiming the funds are not benefiting Afghan women, especially in light of reports indicating that the Taliban prevents women from speaking in public.
He added: “If you think that the programme under Operation Enduring Sentinel entitled Women’s Scholarship Endowment, which receives $60 million annually, or the Young Women Lead, which gets about $5 million annually, is going to women who, by the way, if you read the Inspector General’s report, is telling you that the Taliban does not allow women to speak in public, yet somehow you’re believing, and American people are supposed to believe, that this money is going for the betterment of the women in Afghanistan. It is not.”
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID,” Perry declared. “And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door.”
Perry noted that over the past 20 years, USAID has spent $840 million on education programmes in Pakistan, including the aforementioned $136 million. Despite these expenditures, he insisted that no evidence of school construction had been found. Additionally, he criticised the agency’s £20 million investment in educational television programmes for children who supposedly couldn’t attend school, suggesting that these efforts were futile since the schools didn’t even exist.
“Somebody else got the money,” Perry added, emphasising that taxpayer money were being used for purposes he believes are funding terrorism.
President Donald Trump has previously criticised USAID, even calling for its closure, accusing the agency of corruption in a post on Truth Social.
This stance is part of Trump’s broader campaign to reduce the size of the U.S. government, a mission that aligns with his ally Elon Musk.
Musk, whom Trump appointed to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has also slammed USAID, claiming the agency operates rogue operations and is full of radical-left figures. Musk has accused USAID of conducting “CIA-like” activities and even alleged that it funded bioweapon research, including studies related to COVID-19.
Trump has stated that DOGE will overhaul government agencies by cutting waste, reducing excessive regulations, and addressing bureaucratic inefficiencies. “This will send shockwaves through the system,” Trump declared, “and anyone involved in government waste will be held accountable.”
