For nearly 75 years, UNRWA has provided crucial health care, education, emergency assistance, and other services for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. While it receives funding from the United Nations’ budget, most funding comes voluntarily from UN member states. 

Multiple countries, including the United States, temporarily suspended future administrative funding to UNRWA in January after 12 staff members were accused of taking part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israeli civilians. The agency fired the staff members and the Office of Internal Oversight Services, the UN’s highest internal investigative authority, has opened an investigation into these serious allegations. 

While substantial accountability measures to implement additional safeguards and stricter vetting practices are overdue, Palestinian civilians need humanitarian assistance immediately. Historically, the United States has funded more humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people than any other single country. While the current suspension has not yet disrupted scheduled payments to UNRWA and 99% of the $121 million appropriated for UNRWA this year has already been transferred to the agency, more aid is needed to address the catastrophic situation for innocent civilians in Gaza. The reality on the ground is that UNRWA is the organization best equipped to deliver this critical aid and I believe the investigation must be conducted swiftly and the pause lifted to continue the flow of critical aid and humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

Unfortunately, the second government funding bill for the 2024 Fiscal Year, which passed the House of Representatives on March 22, did not include funding to UNRWA. I am incredibly frustrated that the Republican House majority insisted on excluding this provision from the funding package. I ultimately decided to vote for the bill in order to prevent a partial government shutdown which would have resulted in major crucial federal agencies that serve my constituents closing due to a lapse in funding, including the Department of Education, FEMA, TSA, the Department of Justice, the Small Business Administration, and more. The bill also included $10 billion for critical global health initiatives, $8.7 billion for refugee assistance, $1.7 billion for USAID, and other key investments in peace and security abroad. The Republican House majority even went so far as to attempt to eliminate funding for the UN as a whole, which House Democrats were thankfully able to prevent. This funding package is far from perfect, but as a Member of Congress I have to make tough decisions on the legislation in front of me, not the legislation I wish I could vote for. Voting to shut down the government would have been catastrophic for our country in addition to risking the viability of multiple humanitarian aid programs serving millions of people throughout the world.

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