The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) finds itself mired in controversy after serious accusations of negligence surfaced from Capitol Hill. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael T. McCaul sent a sharply worded letter to USAID Administrator Samantha Power, expressing deep concern over the agency’s failure to act on credible allegations that one of its grantees has ties to designated terrorist organizations.

In October 2021, USAID awarded $110,000 under its Ocean Freight Reimbursement Program to Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) — an organization long accused of connections to extremist groups and terror financiers. Despite these longstanding concerns, which were publicly raised by three Members of Congress in 2019, McCaul charges that USAID moved forward without proper scrutiny.

According to McCaul, despite being notified over eight months ago, USAID neither suspended the grant nor launched a meaningful investigation. He described this as a gross dereliction of duty, further revealing that USAID only engaged with the issue superficially after repeated congressional pressure. Shockingly, during a briefing in January 2023, one of USAID’s experts admitted they had only learned of the matter a week prior.

McCaul is now demanding an immediate suspension of the grant pending a full review, urging USAID to coordinate with U.S. intelligence and security agencies. Should USAID decide to continue funding HHRD, McCaul insists the agency must provide a detailed, evidence-based justification proving the grantee has no ties to terrorist organizations.