House Republicans are demanding answers from the State Department after a report revealed the Palestinian government, to which the Biden administration has given roughly half a billion dollars, is still paying imprisoned terrorists.
The Palestinian Authority has paid stipends to prisoners who committed acts of terrorism and also to families of those who died committing terrorism, even though the PA vowed to stop doing so in order to receive U.S. government aid, according to a State Department report given to Congress in October.
Now, 38 GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns in a Wednesday letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Biden administration may have violated the Taylor Force Act — a law signed by former President Donald Trump that prohibits the U.S. government from giving the PA cash until it stops bankrolling the Palestinian Authority Martyr’s Fund. That fund dishes out monthly stipends to families of Palestinians who were imprisoned, killed, or injured while committing violence against Israel.
“Instead of condemning the Palestinian Authority’s support for terrorism, Joe Biden’s proposed giving them hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars hand over fist,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who led the letter, told the Washington Examiner. “Under Joe Biden, terrorists are first and Americans are last. Rep. Doug Lamborn and I are leading congressional oversight standing up to Joe Biden’s lawless regime and demanding accountability.”
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The nonpublic State Department report also found that Palestinian social media accounts and media organizations have “broadcast or published content praising or celebrating acts of violence.”
Trump signed the Taylor Force Act in March 2018. The legislation was named after Taylor Force, a former Army service member who was murdered in 2016 by a Palestinian terrorist. The PA gave the murderer’s family money because he was killed as part of his terror act.
In July, the White House announced it would send $316 billion to support the Palestinian people. The funds went toward healthcare and technology, “bolstering economic growth,” peace initiatives, and more.
“In offering hundreds of millions of dollars for the purpose of economic assistance, we are concerned that these funds are tragically enabling the Palestinian Authority’s payments to terrorists and the families of terrorists who kill innocent Americans and people of Jewish descent — also commonly referred to as ‘pay-to-slay,'” the Republicans wrote in their letter to Blinken.
“Administrations across the political spectrum have routinely and loudly condemned this practice; unfortunately, the Palestinian Authority has nevertheless refused to put a permanent end to pay-to-slay,” wrote the Republicans.
The Republicans seek to know which accounts the government is paying the PA through and whether the State Department thinks continuing to pay Palestine’s government “contradict[s] both the spirit and letter of the Taylor Force Act” in light of the nonpublic report.
In addition, the lawmakers are curious when the State Department will publicly release the report on Palestine’s government and if the Biden administration has data on how many terrorists and families of terrorists have received money from the PA since March 8, 2016.
The Republicans in their letter gave a Nov. 7 deadline for the State Department to respond to their questions.
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The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.
