By Pedro Rodriguez, The Daily Signal | April 27, 2026
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday, urging him to suspend funding for the Council on American-Islamic Relations and its affiliates and initiate debarment proceedings.
“Why should Americans’ taxpayer dollars go to groups like CAIR that facilitate terrorism?” Roy told The Daily Signal.
“On top of legislation I recently introduced designating CAIR as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization and revoking its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, I am asking Secretary Kennedy, Jr. to investigate CAIR for misuse of federal grant dollars, and to debar them from future grants if it has engaged in foul play,” he added.
“Groups like CAIR that support Hamas should not be lining their pockets on the backs of hardworking Americans.”
In his letter, Roy outlined CAIR’s receipt of more than $15 million in Department of Health and Human Services sub‑grants since 2022, largely for Afghan resettlement and legal services programs administered through California. He further states 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.
Roy’s letter claims CAIR has deep historical connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. As evidence, the lawmaker cites criminal cases involving past CAIR officials, and also CAIR’s listing as an unindicted co‑conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism‑financing case.
For its part, CAIR represents itself as a civil rights organization dedicated to promoting the understanding of Islam and empowering American Muslims.
The letter also accuses CAIR‑California of serious financial and compliance violations involving Office of Refugee Resettlement funds. These accusations include improper self‑funding and pass‑throughs to related affiliates, poor service delivery relative to funding received, inconsistent use of organizational names in grant documents, and failure to accurately disclose millions of dollars in federal grants on IRS filings.
Citing federal regulations governing suspension and debarment, the letter argues that this conduct justifies immediate action. It adds that continued funding is a risk to both taxpayer dollars and national security.
Finally, Roy is requesting that HHS fully investigate CAIR’s grant compliance and affiliations and take action if violations are confirmed.
CAIR did not immediately return a request for comment by The Daily Signal.
Pedro Boccalato Rodriguez-Aparicio is a journalism fellow at the Daily Signal
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