WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 25, 2025 – In Congressional testimony set for February 26, 2025, Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum (MEF), will spotlight how over $122 million in approved grants, which ended up supporting radical and terror-tied organizations, were funneled through USAID’s foreign aid program. This includes entities linked to Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al-Qaeda affiliates.
“There’s a fox loose in the henhouse of our foreign aid system,” Roman will warn. “This problem began under the Obama administration, grew under the Biden administration, and now requires immediate action to halt dangerous mismanagement and a fatal moral confusion.”
Invited by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), Roman’s testimony will argue for a pause in new foreign aid obligations, giving the Trump administration “the space to audit this chaos, root out the rot, and build a fence that keeps the fox out.”
Roman will detail how the U.S. aid system has effectively underwritten organizations that are hostile to American interests and alliances, thus exacerbating violence in conflict zones and risking harm to U.S. national security. His findings come from research led by Samuel Westrop, director of MEF’s Islamist Watch program, and other MEF investigations.
“We’re not just talking about waste, fraud, and abuse—this is a national security problem,” Roman will say. “Every misdirected dollar destabilizes conflict zones and puts American lives at risk.”
Among the most concerning examples:
- World Vision & Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA): A 2014 sub-grant of $125,000 from World Vision to ISRA—an entity linked to Osama bin Laden’s precursor to Al-Qaeda—moved forward “even after a whistleblower raised red flags” and despite urgent warnings.
- Helping Hand for Relief and Development: Received a $70,000-plus USAID grant even after an Inspector General investigation into its ties to the terrorist behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
- Jammal Trust Bank (Lebanon): Funds were funneled to this institution, later designated for financing Hezbollah.
- Bayader & Unlimited Friends Association (UFA): Bayader has ties to senior Hamas figures allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks against Israel, while UFA’s director explicitly called for violent “cleansing” against Jews.
- Opaque “Miscellaneous” Funding: Billions of dollars fall under “miscellaneous foreign awardees,” making it nearly impossible for Congress or the public to track final recipients—some of whom have included Al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria.
Roman’s forthcoming testimony places strong emphasis on criminal accountability and demands a formal referral to the Department of Justice:
“USAID’s reckless bureaucrats should be dragged not just in front of this committee, but before a criminal court judge who can lock up any government official who risked lives around the world to advance these anti-American pet projects,” he will state. “If any private citizen gave even a fraction of this money to these terror-linked groups, we’d be in jail for the rest of our lives.”
Roman also notes that American charities acting as primary grantees and knowingly channeling funds to extremists should be held legally accountable:
“They deserve their day in court, too. This committee has the authority and the responsibility to ensure that happens.”
Proposed Reforms
Roman is expected to propose several urgent steps to halt further damage:
1. Immediate Pause and Audit
- Suspend new obligations until a thorough, independent scrub of grantees and sub-grantees can be conducted, especially in high-risk regions.
2. Stronger Vetting & Full Transparency
- Implement real-time tracking technologies, end “miscellaneous” classifications, and mandate public disclosure of all partners and sub-grantees.
3. Legislative Action with Teeth
- Urge Congress to pass laws mandating stricter penalties and criminal referrals for funding extremists. Require robust screening measures and immediate clawback provisions.
4. Preserve & Follow the Inspector General’s Lead
- Ensure the State Department, under Secretary Rubio’s review, fully adopts any IG recommendations. “No more burying or ignoring the warnings,” says Roman.
5. Criminal Referral
- Make a formal request for the Department of Justice to investigate whether USAID officials and partnering NGOs knowingly facilitated material support to terrorist entities.
“A pause isn’t the end of compassion,” Roman will assert. “It’s the beginning of accountability—ensuring our aid feeds children, not chaos. Every dollar that buys a bomb instead of a blanket is a betrayal of those we aim to help.”
About Gregg Roman
Gregg Roman is the executive director of the Middle East Forum, a research center focused on Middle East strategy and policy. He previously served as director of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, as a political advisor to the deputy foreign minister of Israel, and worked for the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
About the Middle East Forum (MEF)
Founded in 1994 by Daniel Pipes and based in Philadelphia, the Middle East Forum promotes American interests and stability in the Middle East through insightful research, policy analysis, and recommendations to U.S. and international leaders. The Forum’s flagship publication, Middle East Quarterly, and its various research initiatives provide in-depth understanding of terrorism, Islamist movements, security challenges, and geopolitical trends. MEF has advised policymakers for over three decades, shaping debates on terrorism funding, foreign aid oversight, and strategies for peace and security in the region.
For immediate release:
For more information, contact:
- Evan Nierman: evan@redbanyan.com
Phone: +1 954-379-2115 - Neil Strauss: neil@redbanyan.com
- Monika Levin: monika@redbanyan.com
