U.S. Congress Introduces Bill to Dismantle UNRWA and Shift Humanitarian Aid

Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) unveiled the Replace UNRWA with Real Humanitarian Assistance Act. The measure obliges the State Department to submit, within 180 days of enactment, a detailed strategy for winding down United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) operations across the Middle East. The plan must identify host-government or qualified non-governmental entities to assume service delivery, guarantee uninterrupted humanitarian assistance, and impose transparency and accountability standards on successor organizations. Implementation is required to begin within a year, with a phased wind-down timeline. The bill currently has 23 co-sponsors, all Republicans.

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UNRWA, founded in 1949, provides emergency food, cash assistance, education, and primary-care to roughly 2.6 million Palestinians and records about 10.5 million primary-care visits annually. The United States has historically contributed about one-third of the agency’s budget. Following the October 7 2023 Hamas attack, Israel accused UNRWA staff of involvement, prompting a U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General investigation that led to suspension or debarment referrals for more than 100 current or former UNRWA employees. Israel subsequently banned UNRWA from operating in its territory and pressured other donors to curtail funding.

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• Mike Lawler – Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.

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• Josh Gottheimer – New Jersey Democrat supporting the bipartisan effort.

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• Hillel Neuer – Executive Director of UN Watch, a NGO that monitors United Nations agencies.

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• Matt Duss – Executive Vice President, Center for International Policy (CIP).

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• Dylan Williams – Vice President for Government Affairs, CIP.

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• Adil Haque – Law professor, Rutgers University, commenting on potential replacement NGOs.

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• 2.6 million Palestinians receive UNRWA food or cash aid.

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• 10.5 million primary-care visits recorded annually.

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• >100 staff members faced suspension or debarment referrals after the OIG probe.

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• Israel accused 19 of UNRWA’s 13,000+ Gaza employees of participation in the October 7 attack; a UN investigation found nine may have been involved, insufficient evidence for nine, and none for one.

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If enacted, the bill would shift humanitarian delivery from a multilateral UN agency to regional governments or NGOs, raising concerns about service continuity, oversight, and the political message to Israel and the Palestinian population. Critics warn that dismantling UNRWA could create an “existential funding crisis” for vulnerable refugees, while supporters argue it would prevent alleged misuse of aid by terrorist groups.

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Lawler asserted that UNRWA “has repeatedly failed to meet the basic standards of accountability and neutrality that the international community should expect from any humanitarian organization.” Gottheimer echoed the view, stating the U.S. “can’t keep funneling money through an organization that teaches kids to hate and employs Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7th attack.” UN Watch, represented by Neuer, described UNRWA as “beyond reform” after a decade of monitoring, arguing its “raison d’être… is to keep Palestinians in a state of dependency and to perpetuate resentment, grievance, war, and terrorism.”

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Matt Duss (CIP) warned that the legislation would be “a death sentence for thousands of Palestinians who depend on UNRWA services.” Dylan Williams (CIP) countered that “UNRWA is vital to keeping hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable Palestinians alive.” Rutgers professor Adil Haque cautioned that the identity of replacement NGOs remains unclear, noting past reliance on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was linked to civilian casualties.

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Israeli officials claim extensive Hamas infiltration within UNRWA, citing 19 accused employees, while a UN investigation confirmed involvement for only nine and found insufficient evidence for the remainder. No definitive list of prospective NGOs or governmental bodies to assume UNRWA’s functions has been provided, leaving a gap in implementation details.

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• “UNRWA has repeatedly failed to meet the basic standards of accountability and neutrality that the international community should expect from any humanitarian organization.” — Mike Lawler, U.S. Representative

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• “We can't keep funneling money through an organization that teaches kids to hate and employs Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7th attack.” — Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Representative

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• “UNRWA has been corrupted by Hamas for years, with documented ties to terrorism,” — Mike Lawler, U.S. Representative (as reported)

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• “employs Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7 [2023] attack,” — Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Representative (as reported)

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• “We’ve been the lead organization monitoring UNRWA in the past 10 years, and we’ve concluded, based on hundreds of pages of in-depth reports, that the agency is beyond reform,” — Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, UN Watch

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• “This bill would be a death sentence for thousands of Palestinians who depend on UNRWA services,” — Matt Duss, Executive Vice President, Center for International Policy

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Should the bill pass both chambers, the Secretary of State would be required to deliver the dismantlement strategy within 180 days, outlining successor entities and ensuring no interruption of critical humanitarian services.

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