A U.S. congressman, Scott Perry, has accused the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of financing terrorist groups, including Boko Haram, ISIS, and al-Qaeda.
Perry made the claims on Thursday during the first session of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory body created by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Tech billionaire Elon Musk leads the controversial committee, which aims to cut government spending but has faced allegations of interfering with federal agencies, including USAID.
During the session, Perry claimed USAID’s $697 million annual budget funds extremist groups and terrorist training camps.
“Your money, $697 million annually, plus shipments of cash, funds ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, and terrorist training camps,” Perry said in a widely shared video on social media.
However, he did not provide concrete evidence to support his allegations, and many Democrats dismissed his claims as part of a broader Republican effort to discredit USAID.
Perry also criticized USAID’s spending on education projects in Pakistan, claiming the agency spent $136 million on building 120 schools that were never constructed. He also questioned an $840 million investment in education programs over two decades and $20 million spent on educational television programs for children.
Additionally, he criticized the agency’s $60 million Women’s Scholarship Endowment and $5 million Young Women Lead programs in Afghanistan. He argued that since the Taliban government does not allow women to speak publicly, these programs were unlikely to benefit Afghan women.
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID,” Perry alleged.
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Former President Trump and Elon Musk have been vocal critics of USAID. Trump has accused the agency of corruption, while Musk has called it a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America.” Musk also claimed USAID engages in “rogue CIA work” and funds bioweapon research, including COVID-19.
Despite these accusations, most allegations against USAID remain unproven. Critics argue that Trump and Musk are misrepresenting the agency’s work for political reasons.
Nigeria has struggled with terrorism for nearly two decades, with Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), continuing attacks in the North-East. Experts believe external funding has prolonged the conflict.
ISWAP reportedly still receives support from ISIS, while Boko Haram has resorted to taxation and violent raids to generate funds. In 2020, six Nigerians were convicted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for funding Boko Haram, leading to further investigations into terrorist financing