HHS Secretary Kennedy Urges Rubio to Join CAIR Funding Probe After Chip Roy’s Request

After the Daily Signal first reported that the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ California chapter accepted millions in federal tax dollars to help resettle Afghans, the Department of Health and Human Services has announced that it will probe the funding.

“HHS has requested a review of allegations involving @CAIRNational and its affiliates, @CAIRCalifornia and @CAIRWashington regarding the use of federal grant funds,” Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on X Tuesday. “Americans deserve full transparency when taxpayer dollars are involved. If there is evidence of fraud, abuse, or ties to designated terrorist organizations, we will act.”

Kennedy, citing that “accountability is not optional,” announced that he privately shared his concerns with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and encouraged him to conduct a full “review of any information relevant to this matter.”

Kennedy added that “the integrity of federal programs is our responsibility.”

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who first raised the concerns over CAIR funding to HHS, told the Daily Signal that this is a much-needed win because “Americans should not be forced to subsidize organizations that are accused of supporting or facilitating terrorism.”

“Following my request for oversight, I am encouraged and thank Secretary Kennedy Jr. for investigating CAIR’s alleged ties to groups such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as the use of millions of taxpayer dollars awarded to the organization,” the co-founder of the Sharia Free America Caucus continued. “If any misuse of federal funds is uncovered, those responsible must be held accountable, future grants should be terminated, and taxpayers deserve full transparency about how their money was spent.”

In Roy’s original letter, the congressman revealed the organization has received more than $15 million in Department of Health and Human Services subgrants since 2022, largely for Afghan resettlement and legal services programs administered through California, as outlined in his letter.

He further stated that CAIR’s association with Islamic terror organizations creates a “grave risk to national security” that should disbar the organization from receiving federal tax dollars.

“CAIR’s longstanding ties to terrorist organizations, including Hamas—a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)—combined with documented financial mismanagement and misuse of federal grant funds administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), pose a grave risk to national security and render CAIR unfit to receive taxpayer dollars,” the letter reads.

In the past, the representative introduced legislation to designate CAIR as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization and urged the Treasury Department to revoke its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

“Why should Americans’ taxpayer dollars go to groups like CAIR that facilitate terrorism?” Roy previously told the Daily Signal.

CAIR has not responded to the Daily Signal’s request for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.