United States Congressman Scott Perry has made a startling allegation, claiming that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing financial support to terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram.
Perry, a Republican representative from Pennsylvania, made the statement during the first session of the Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency on Thursday.
The claim has sparked significant controversy, with government officials and international observers calling for a thorough investigation into the allegations.
USAID, known for its global humanitarian efforts, has yet to issue an official response regarding the accusation.
The remarks by Perry have reignited discussions on the oversight and transparency of international aid programs, particularly in regions affected by terrorism.
While some have called for an immediate review of USAID’s financial allocations, others caution against drawing conclusions without concrete evidence.
The meeting, titled
“The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” was dedicated to discussing the potential misuse of taxpayer funds.
“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,” Perry remarked.
He went on to highlight USAID’s reported allocation of $136 million for the construction of 120 schools in Pakistan, claiming that there was “zero evidence” to suggest the schools had been built.
“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,” Perry asserted.
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door.”
Perry further criticized USAID’s expenditure on Pakistan’s education program, which reportedly amounted to $840 million over the past two decades. He specifically pointed to the $136 million earmarked for the construction of 120 schools, claiming there was no evidence these schools were built.
“The Inspector General can’t get in to see them. But you know what? We doubled down and spent $20 million from USAID to create educational television programs for children unable to attend the physical school. Yeah, they can’t attend it, because it doesn’t exist. You paid for it,” Perry continued.
“Somebody else got the money. You are paying for terrorism. This has got to end.”
Previously, US President Donald Trump had called for the dissolution of USAID, accusing the agency of corruption on his Truth Social platform. This effort is part of Trump’s and his ally Elon Musk’s larger campaign to reduce the size of the US government.
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