(FixThisNation.com) – On Thursday, Progressive House Democrats slammed a provision that is included in the $1.2 trillion spending package as it would block funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Many progressives have argued that the cuts would be harmful to the United Nations Agency as without the funds it would not be able to continue providing water, food, and shelter to Palestinians in Gaza. Progressives have argued that this is part of the reason why they are cautious about the possibility of voting in favor of the funding bill.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has argued that the move was going to restrict funding and that it was extremely “political.” On Thursday she argued that it was “unconscionable” and not grounded in facts. She added that this assessment was incredibly political.
The Biden administration has noted that they would temporarily stop providing any funds to the agency after allegations emerged that some members of the UNRWA had been connected to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. These allegations are what resulted in many Republicans pushing for the funding cut.
However, the Democrats have countered by pointing out that the dozen people who had been potentially involved in the attack only make up a small portion of the UNRWA’s 30,000 employees. They have also pointed out that the agency is a key resource for Palestinians who are facing a humanitarian crisis and that this would result in a void that could not be covered by a different agency.
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