A US lawmaker Scott Perry, in a startling revelation during a congressional hearing, accused the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of funneling taxpayer dollars to terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda.
The allegations were made during the inaugural session of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Thursday, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud.”
There are many allegations tilted toward western countries in financing Boko Haram particularly in Nigeria, but this accusation came from within the political leadership of the US.
Perry (R-Pennsylvania), a vocal critic of government spending, claimed that USAID’s annual budget of $697 million, along with cash shipments to madrasas, has inadvertently funded terrorist training camps and extremist groups.
“Your money, $697 million annually, plus shipments of cash, funds ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, and terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry asserted during the hearing as quoted by the Punch.
The congressman also highlighted USAID’s $136 million expenditure on building 120 schools in Pakistan, alleging that there is “zero evidence” any of these schools were ever constructed. “Why would there be any evidence? The Inspector General can’t get in to see them,” Perry said, questioning the accountability of the agency.
He further criticized USAID’s education-related programs in Pakistan, which reportedly cost $840 million over the past two decades. Perry pointed to an additional $20 million spent on creating educational television programs for children who, he claimed, cannot attend physical schools because they “don’t exist.”
Perry also took aim at USAID’s initiatives in Afghanistan, specifically the Women’s Scholarship Endowment and Young Women Lead programs, which receive $60 million and $5 million annually, respectively.
He argued that these funds are unlikely to benefit Afghan women, citing a Taliban-imposed ban on women speaking in public. “You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID,” Perry declared.
The allegations come amid broader criticism of USAID from President Donald Trump and his ally, billionaire Elon Musk.
Trump, who has repeatedly called for the closure of USAID, accused the agency of corruption on his Truth Social platform. Musk, appointed by Trump to lead the DOGE, has labeled USAID a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and accused it of engaging in “rogue CIA work” and funding bioweapon research, including COVID-19.
Trump and Musk have made shrinking the federal government a key priority, with Trump vowing to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.” This effort, Trump claims, is essential to his “Save America” movement and will “send shockwaves through the system.”
