Biden’s pause on cash for UN ‘aid’ in Gaza comes after he reversed Trump’s 2018 halt on funding

President Donald Trump cut funding to UNRWA in 2018 after his administration realized the agency operating on behalf of Palestinians was "irredeemably flawed." President Joe Biden resumed funding unconditionally to the agency after taking the White House in 2021. Now it turns out he was giving aid to terrorists.

The Biden administration sent $100 million to UNRWA and Gaza in October 2023 alone, going around Congress, which had blocked the funding. This is part of the $1 billion in US taxpayer funds Biden has sent to the agency over three years. When Biden sent money to Gaza in October, following the brutal massacre of 1200 Israelis by Hamas, he said there would be more on the way so long as the humanitarian aid didn't go to terrorism.

"Let me be clear," he said. "If Hamas diverts or steals the assistance, they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people and it will end. As a practical matter, it will — it will stop the international community from being able to provide this aid." He didn't account for the aid agency workers themselves to be linked to terrorists.

Biden had to "pause" funding amid reports that a full 10 percent of the UNRWA aid workers in Gaza have ties to Hamas terrorists. UNRWA was the same agency that Biden said should manage Gaza after the war Hamas started eventually ends.

President Donald Trump halted funding for UNRWA, saying that changes would have to be made to the agency if funding were to resume, but those changes never materialized. Upon taking the White House in 2021, President Joe Biden resumed funding for UNRWA.

Funding the aid agency was believed to be the humanitarian thing to do by those who pressured Biden to resume it. Even now, after 9 countries have cut funding due to the ties to terrorists and the revelation that 12 staffers of UNRWA were involved with the Oct. 7 massacre, the United Nations is asking them to reconsider. The US is the biggest donor to the agency.

"While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations - I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's operations," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. He further promised to hold UN employees accountable if they were "involved in acts of terror."

UNRWA said they would run out of cash to continue operations in Gaza if the US doesn't resume the flow of money to the agency and the region.