A member of the United States Congress, Scott Perry, has alleged that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram.
Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, made the claim during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on Thursday.
The hearing, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on alleged misappropriation of taxpayer funds.
According to Perry, USAID channels an estimated $697 million annually, some of which he claims ends up funding terrorist organisations such as Boko Haram, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS Khorasan.
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door,” he said.
He also alleged that USAID allocated $136 million to build 120 schools in Pakistan, yet there was “zero evidence” of their construction.
“But you know what? We doubled down and spent $20 million from USAID to create educational television programmes for children unable to attend physical school. Yeah, they can’t attend it, because it doesn’t exist. You paid for it,” he added.
Perry’s claims follow previous criticism of USAID by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who ordered the agency’s closure, citing corruption. Billionaire Elon Musk, who was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, has also accused USAID of engaging in rogue operations.
USAID is yet to respond to the allegations.
