U.S. Congressman Scott Perry has claimed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been involved in funding terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram.

Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, made these allegations during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on Thursday. The hearing, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on concerns regarding the misallocation of taxpayer funds.

“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money—$697 million annually—plus shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry stated.

According to the subcommittee’s website, its mission is to “actively work with President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste, shore up vulnerable payment systems, and fully investigate schemes to defraud taxpayers.”

Perry also pointed to USAID’s reported allocation of $136 million for the construction of 120 schools in Pakistan, alleging that there is “zero evidence” that these schools were actually built.

“If you think that the programme under Operation Enduring Sentinel entitled Women’s Scholarship Endowment, which receives $60 million annually, or the Young Women Lead programme, which gets about $5 million annually, is truly benefiting women in Afghanistan, think again,” Perry continued. He referenced an Inspector General’s report stating that the Taliban does not allow women to speak in public and questioned how these programs could be effective under such conditions.

“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan—Pakistan is right next door,” he added.

Perry further claimed that USAID had spent $840 million over the past 20 years on education-related programs in Pakistan, including $136 million for school construction, yet “there is zero evidence that any of them were built.” He argued that oversight was impossible because “the Inspector General can’t get in to see them.”

“But you know what? We doubled down and spent $20 million from USAID to create educational television programs for children unable to attend school. Yeah, they can’t attend because the schools don’t exist. You paid for it. Somebody else got the money. You are paying for terrorism. This has got to end,” Perry stated.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has previously called for the closure of USAID, alleging corruption within the agency. He reiterated his stance in a post on his Truth Social platform, aligning with his broader goal of reducing government bureaucracy.

This effort is part of Trump’s and his billionaire ally Elon Musk’s initiative to shrink the federal government. Musk, whom Trump appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has also been vocal in his criticism of USAID.

Musk has labeled the agency “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and vowed to shut it down. He has further alleged that USAID has engaged in “rogue CIA work” and even “funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people.”

Trump emphasized that DOGE would “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies—essential to the ‘Save America’ movement.” He added, “This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!”