Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, today introduced legislation to permanently prohibit the United States government from making any voluntary or assessed contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has a lengthy history of espousing and distributing antisemitic rhetoric and materials.

                Republican Reps. Darrell Issa (CA-48), Mike Lawler (NY-17), Tom Kean (NJ-07), Andy Barr (KY-06), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Young Kim (CA-40), María Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Joe Wilson (SC-02), and Randy Fine (FL-06) joined Rep. Smith in introducing the Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2026 (HR 9893).

                “For more than 23 years, I have been sounding the alarm on UNRWA and its longstanding record of antisemitism and Jew hatred,” said Smith, who authored and introduced an amendment to a State Department budget bill to shift all U.S. funding away from UNRWA based upon its antisemitic actions and publications as early as 2003.

                “UNRWA is one of the chief drivers of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, and the United States government should play no part in supporting or financing this hate-filled organization’s operations.”

                The Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2026—which Smith also introduced during the 118^th Congress—notes that individuals, entities, and/or agencies that receive humanitarian assistance from UNRWA through secondary organizations will not be barred from U.S. funding, so long as “the Secretary of State certifies to Congress that such agencies or entities do not promote, espouse, or affiliate with entities or individuals that promote violence, terrorism, or antisemitism, or employ individuals who do the same.”

                “As I have said many times before, UNRWA is antisemitic from top to bottom,” continued Smith. “Through its textbooks and materials praising terrorist groups and condemning the Jewish people, this organization teaches Palestinian children to hate Jews—essentially functioning as a child soldier factory.

                “During both terms, President Trump rightly halted U.S. funding for UNRWA over credible reports that the organization was infiltrated by members of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and its employees were involved in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre.

                “My legislation will codify President Trump’s actions, ensuring that they cannot be easily reversed by future Democrat administrations. As a leader in the global fight against antisemitism, the United States must defund and deplatform organizations or entities that malign the Jewish faith and incite violence against the Jewish people,” Smith concluded.

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