Mike Lee
05/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/19/2026 10:09
“Horrifying Misuse of American Tax Dollars” – Lee Calls to Slash UN Agency Employing Hamas Terrorists, Hiding Hostages and Weapons
"Horrifying Misuse of American Tax Dollars" - Lee Calls to Slash UN Agency Employing Hamas Terrorists, Hiding Hostages and Weapons
May 19, 2026
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and a large Senate Republican coalition urging President Trump to defund a United Nations (UN) agency employing and aiding Hamas terrorists. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) employs several terrorists who participated in the initial attacks by Hamas on October 7th, as well as many others with ties to Hamas, and has repeatedly aided the terrorist organization by hiding hostages and weapons and teaching a pro-terrorism, antisemitic curriculum.
"As if the UN were not already useless and expensive, it is now using American tax dollars to hide hostages and weapons for the Hamas terrorists it employs. Yes, really!" said Senator Mike Lee. "$70 million is funneled yearly from the United Nations to a group in Gaza employing multiple terrorists from the October 7th attacks and their friends. These American-paid employees have used our tax dollars to hide their hostages and weaponry and teach a pro-terrorism, antisemitic curriculum. Americans do not support this horrifying misuse of tax dollars - it must end now."
The letter reads as follows:
Dear President Trump,
We strongly support your administration's efforts to preserve Israel's long-term security and ensure that Gaza has a future free of Hamas's terrorist influence. Your strong leadership has been instrumental in advancing a comprehensive 20-point peace plan that demands Hamas disarm and play no role in Gaza governance. Achieving stability in Gaza requires ridding Gaza of the military, social, and political infrastructure that fed Hamas's power. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is one such structure that must be dismantled, not just in Gaza but across the region.
Established in 1949 as a temporary relief agency, UNRWA operates across Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. In defiance of its mission, extensive reports, investigations, and intelligence assessments have confirmed UNRWA's systemic infiltration by Hamas and other U.S.-designated terrorist organizations. Yet America continued to fund UNRWA.
Israel found that at least twelve UNRWA employees participated in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, and that roughly ten percent of the agency's employees in Gaza have ties to terrorist groups. Recently, a USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation identified three additional UNRWA employees who participated in the attacks as well as 14 others affiliated with Hamas. The USAID OIG is expanding its probe to examine more than 100 UNRWA employees for potential ties to Hamas and involvement in the attacks.
Since October 7, Hamas has repeatedly diverted UNRWA's supplies, used its facilities to hide weapons stockpiles and tunnel infrastructure, and even used its buildings to hold hostages. UNRWA's educational curriculum glorifies terrorism and antisemitism. Yet while the United States has suspended direct funding and Israel has banned the agency from operating on its territory, UNRWA remains active in Gaza. UNRWA continues to receive $70 million annually from the United Nations regular budget - of which the United States provides roughly a quarter.
We strongly urge your administration to take decisive action to fully dismantle UNRWA and eliminate it from the UN budget. Any aid organization in Gaza or otherwise must be demonstrably free of ties to terrorism and committed to transparency, accountability, and peace. We must ensure this failed system doesn't continue reinforcing the conditions that have fueled terrorism for generations. The time to act is now.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We stand prepared to assist.
The letter is cosigned by Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
Read exclusive coverage by The New York Post here.
Read the full text of the letter here.
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Mike Lee published this content on May 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 19, 2026 at 16:09 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]