State Department settles lawsuit over $1.5B sent by Biden administration to Palestinian Authority
WASHINGTON – The State Department has settled a lawsuit alleging the Biden administration sent more than $1.5 billion in taxpayer money to the Palestinian Authority, in apparent violation of federal law.
Under the agreement with America First Legal, the State Department agreed to comply for the next 10 years with the Taylor Force Act of 2018, which prevents the US from sending certain types of aid to the Palestinian Authority until it agrees to stop funding its Martyrs Fund.
Critics say the fund is a “pay-for-kill” scheme, to reward the families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned during Israeli attacks.
The law is named after Taylor Force, an American MBA student and Army veteran who was killed by Palestinian terrorists in the coastal city of Jaffa on March 8, 2016.
The first lawsuit, filed against then-President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in December 2022 by Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas); Force’s parents, Stuart and Robbie; and terrorist attack survivor Sarri Singer, accused the Biden administration of “illegally embezzling American taxpayer money through non-governmental organizations to directly benefit the Palestinian Authority.”
“As a victim of terrorism and a survivor of a Hamas bombing, I have lived with the painful reality that the person who carried out the attack on me is not only honored, but that his family receives monthly payments for that act of violence,” lamented Singer, praising the correction.
“This resolution brings a level of accountability and helps ensure that the US does not contribute, even indirectly, to fueling terror.”
Stuart Force similarly praised the deal with the Trump administration.
“Today is also a very happy day. My wife, Robbie, is not here to share the good news,” he said. “As we worked tirelessly with Congress over the years to pass this federal law to stop the flow of taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority and their Pay to Slay program, Robbie was also battling the medical challenges of losing our Taylor.”
Jackson called the settlement “a victory for the victims and families harmed by the Palestinian Authority’s Pay to Slay program, and for the American people.”
“When President Trump signed the Taylor Force Act in 2018, America made it clear that it would not tolerate or reward terrorism – yet Joe Biden’s decision to ignore that law puts American lives at risk,” he added. “I am grateful that the Trump Administration has taken serious steps to correct this failure.”
America First Legal was founded by current White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller and has close ties to the Trump administration.
