Watchdog: USAID Rubio Cover, Do Not Disclose Gaza Aid Recipients

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is once again at the heart of the debate. The agency refuses to disclose an organization that received $27 million in taxpayer-funded grants due to Gaza's so-called “multi-sector response.”

According to the conservative Watchdog Group Judicial Watch, the Trump administration's State Department led by Marco Rubio protects USAID's secrets. This raises serious concerns about whether funds have been diverted to terrorist-related groups.

Walking through the truth

Despite repeated demands for transparency, USAID remains denied disclosure of anyone who received exactly $27 million in Gaza taxpayer-funded grants. Judicial Watch attempted to force agency hands in the July 2024 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit. However, to this day, bureaucratic “stonewalling” continues.

Judicial oversight chair Tom Fitton did not tick the words of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the State Department actively “fighting” and keeping USAID spending in the dark ahead of the latest court hearing on Friday.

“USAID is a nightmare of transparency!” Fitton wrote in February, highlighting his continued refusal to reveal recipients of Gaza Aid.

The Watchdog Group reaffirmed this on Sunday, and candidly stated that USAID is “continuing to hide” where the money went.

And the agency's excuse? According to Judicial Watch, it cites “trade secrets, financial information, privacy.” A convenient justification given the well-documented history of USAID to fund suspicious foreign companies on behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). However, given this track record, USAID expects the public to accept the guarantee at face value. That's a tough sell for those who understand the facility's playbook.

Unknown entities from millions

According to Judicial Watch, the funds in question are as follows:

On November 15th, 2023, $7 million was awarded for “Multi-sector Response in Gaza” under the Federal Award 720BHA24GR0000005. The $20 million “continued” grant was issued on the same day without any disclosed recipients. Over $282 million was allocated to the West Bank and Gaza in 2023.

Judicial Watch lawsuits seek records identifying recipients of these funds, along with proposals, applications and work plans related to the grant.

Instead of transparency, the organization reports that USAID has created a heavily edited document. Relying on multiple FOIA exemptions, he argued that disclosures could “cause major harm” to the winners' competitiveness, and that revealing their identity could put their safety at risk.

“High Risk” Assistance: Defects or Function?

USAID wants the Americans to believe that Gaza aid is in good control. But otherwise, the police officer (OIG) office warns.

The July 2024 OIG report cited by Judicial Watch explicitly flagged USAID-funded support to Gaza as “high risk of diversion and misuse.”

This is not just a hypothetical concern. The report comes just months after controversy over the United Nations Relief and the Labor Bureau for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). On October 7, 2023, it alleged that UNRWA officials (the main recipient of US aid) were directly involved in the attack on Israel.

Even USAID administrator Samantha Power admitted that UNRWA's review process was weak and “had to be significantly strengthened.” If there was a bureaucratic understatement!

The bigger question remains: is this incompetent or a bad thing? The United States has a long history of supporting radical elements to undermine political movements and administrations that challenge its global agenda. Benjamin Netanyahu's well-documented past support for Hamas aimed to undermine the Palestinian state. Is it really stretching to suspect Washington is using that aid for the same purpose?

Unanswered Questions

Fitton repeatedly denounced the secrets surrounding foreign aid and called for Rubio's State Department to actively protect USAID transactions.

“Americans have the right to know who has our money in Gaza,” Fitton said. He argued that transparency is essential to protecting both the US and Israeli national security.

Still, Americans haven't thought about it yet:

Who in Gaza received $27 million in US taxpayer funds, why safeguards (if any) prevented Hamas-related groups from accessing these funds

Until those answers come, the only certainty is that the USAID secret remains intact. And Rubio's State Department has confirmed that it stays that way.

Wideer context

Once in office, the Trump administration announced sweeping reforms to federal agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has made headlines publicly of USAID's bloated budget and lack of oversight. On the first day, Trump ordered a near-freezing of foreign aid. However, Rubio quickly issued exemptions for humanitarian assistance, raising questions about the scope of these cuts.

Musk declared USAID a “criminal organisation” that goes beyond reform, but the administration did not truly dismantle the government institutions. Instead, it was absorbed by the State Department. Today, Rubio is currently the administrator of USAID, and announced that 83% of the USAID program will be cut. This eliminates 5,200 contracts and 9,500 jobs. However, 17% remain, making it unclear which programs survived, who benefited, and why they escaped.

Why maintain USAID?

For years, USAID has been a means of government change, destabilization and political interference. It leaks money to extremist-related groups and unexplained non-governmental organizations, all pretending to be humanitarian aid. Among those seeking a full audit and a complete shutdown of the agency is Ron Paul, a principled constitutionalist and former Texas legislator. He argues that the institution relates to the most “disastrous” aspect of US foreign policy.

This raises an urgent question: If USAID acts as a means of unconstitutional foreign intertwining that undermines American interests, why should it be held?

The answer may be the continuity of power. Facilities rarely destroy that tool. They simply form them to fit the new political reality. It refused to fuel $27 million in Gaza aid only because of suspicion that $27 million in Gaza aid remains USAID's most secret and controversial operation.

Cut may have eliminated some “wasteful” projects from past administrations. However, without complete transparency, there is no guarantee that USAID's worst practices have not yet been implemented.