Staff Reports
Conservative Republicans are up in arms as they battle against a push to send cash raining down on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). This debate is causing quite the commotion as politicians squabble over whether the agency, often accused of cozying up to Hamas like a cat with a saucer of milk, should receive a penny more.
UNRWA funding emerges as sticking point as lawmakers work to avoid partial government shutdown https://t.co/U1ZzSWoG2c https://t.co/U1ZzSWoG2c
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 15, 2024
The United States, along with a flock of other countries, put the brakes on funding for UNRWA in light of Israel’s finger-pointing at some of the agency’s staff in Gaza, shouting from the rooftops that these employees were involved in a monstrous attack by Hamas. The report by U.N. Watch caused quite a stir, bringing to light the agency’s staff seemingly holding a parade in celebration of the heinous assault that triggered a massive conflict.
The agency may have given the axe to a dozen of its workers, but Israel claims that hundreds more are in cahoots with Hamas. Yikes! The Senate even went so far as to add a little footnote in a funding bill, calling for the UNRWA to be cut off from the cash flow.
Republican heavyweights are at the barricades, ready to go to bat to keep the funds out of UNRWA’s grasp. Senator John Kennedy even questioned why the United States should hand over a single red cent to the United Nations at all. But Democrats, always the ones to spoil a good argument, are not keen on nixing the funding altogether. Instead, they’re batting their eyelashes at the idea of slapping some conditions on the dough before handing it over.
The tiff between the two sides has left the fate of UNRWA hanging in the balance, with no clear pathway forward as the countdown to March 22 ticks away. But don’t hold your breath just yet; this story is far from over. Republican lawmakers are bracing themselves in anticipation of the battle yet to come, as they continue to resist any more moolah heading in the direction of an agency that they believe is nothing more than a megaphone for Hamas.
And so, the saga continues, with no end in sight. Only time will tell where the chips will fall, but for now, the conservative Republican brigade is standing firm in their quest to keep the United Nations Relief Agency at arm’s length.
