Biden admin seeks 'fundamental changes' to UN relief agency as GOP moves to block funding

The Biden administration on Tuesday indicated that a United Nations agency would need to enact "fundamental changes" before Washington would end a funding pause it imposed following reports that staff participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas raid that kicked off the ongoing hostilities in the region.

Reports emerged last week that staffers with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) participated in the raid that saw Hamas forces kill more than 1,200 people. The Biden administration subsequently paused funding for the agency, which fired 12 employees over the incident.

"We need to look at the organization, how it operates in Gaza, how they manage their staff and to ensure that people who commit criminal acts, such as these 12 individuals, are held accountable immediately so that UNRWA can continue the essential work that it’s doing," U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, according to Politico.

Thomas-Greenfield's remarks indicate an openness to potentially resuming support for the agency, though at least one congressional Republican appear inclined to shut down the flow of U.S. funds altogether.

New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith, for his part, introduced the "Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2024" this week to bar the U.S. from supporting the UNRWA or any successor entity. The U.S. provided the UNRWA with nearly $300 million last year.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.