Lawmakers press State Department on halted aid, warehouses of food and alternatives to UNRWA for Gaza

Members of the House Appropriations subcommittee pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio about reports that food purchased with U.S. funds has not reached intended recipients and that large aid stocks are at risk of spoiling.

Representative Tom Cole and others told Rubio that warehouses hold food rations purchased with appropriated funds and that some supplies face imminent expiration; Cole said shipments could feed millions, including “the entire population of Gaza for a month and a half,” and asked whether the administration would ensure food is distributed. Rubio said impediments included host‑country and operational barriers, and that the administration is working with partners to move aid quickly.

Lawmakers also pressed Rubio about UNRWA, the U.N. agency that provides services to Palestinians. Rubio said the administration is seeking alternative mechanisms to deliver aid in ways that prevent diversion to Hamas and that UNRWA’s historical problems — including allegations of diversion and, according to members, the presence of some staff tied to militant groups — make alternatives necessary. “We do oppose working with UNRWA,” Rubio said, and added the administration is looking for “alternative mechanisms” and regional partners to deliver assistance without benefitting Hamas.

Ranking Member Lois Frankel and others described immediate harm from terminated or paused programs, including cancelled nutrition programs and interrupted maternal and child health services. Frankel and other Democrats said the administration’s freezes and cancellations were undertaken without adequate consultation with Congress and had already caused harm in multiple countries. Rubio said the administration had engaged partners and humanitarian organizations and that some aid is restarting as missions and embassies reconstruct delivery channels.

On Gaza specifically, members asked what benchmarks the administration is requiring of Israel to expand humanitarian access. Rubio said U.S. diplomacy helped open additional aid convoys but cautioned he could not detail private negotiations. He emphasized the United States wants to see a humanitarian footing that does not allow armed groups to control distribution.

Committee members asked Rubio to provide specific plans for how funds appropriated for humanitarian assistance will be reallocated or used and for documentation showing where food and other supplies are currently held and who is responsible for distribution. Rubio said the administration will work with OMB and the committee and that proposals for alternatives to UNRWA are under discussion.