I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9649 
To restore funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for 
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 
Mr. CARSON (for himself, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. 
BALINT, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. BEYER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. 
BUSH, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CASAR, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. CHU, Mr. 
CLEAVER, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. DEAN of Pennsyl-
vania, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. DINGELL, 
Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. FROST, 
Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRI-
JALVA, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JA-
COBS, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. LEE of 
California, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Ms. LOF-
GREN, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MFUME, Ms. 
MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. OMAR, Ms. 
PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. 
SA´NCHEZ, Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. WATERS, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To restore funding for the United Nations Relief and Works 
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘UNRWA Funding 
Emergency Restoration Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has 
reached a catastrophic emergency level, with two 
million Palestinian civilians suffering daily due to es-
calating conflict and deprivation. 
(2) The Integrated Food Security Phase Classi-
fication (IPC) has warned of imminent famine in 
northern Gaza if humanitarian assistance, including 
food, water, and medicine, are not immediately pro-
vided to Palestinian civilians. Hostilities hindering 
the delivery of aid in southern Gaza threaten to cre-
ate a similar situation. United States Agency for 
International 
Development 
Director 
Samantha 
Power testified that famine is currently underway in 
parts of Gaza. 
(3) The United Nations Relief and Works 
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East 
(UNRWA) has since 1949 played a vital and central 
role in providing shelter, education, healthcare, and 
financial assistance to millions of Palestinians living 
in vulnerable refugee communities across Gaza, the 
West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. 
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(4) UNRWA’s aid operations are essential to 
meeting the humanitarian needs of Palestinian civil-
ians in Gaza and beyond. U.S. United Nations Al-
ternative Representative for Special Political Affairs 
Robert Wood expressed to the United Nations Secu-
rity Council that UNRWA is critical to averting a 
famine in Gaza, stating ‘‘Other United Nations 
agencies and humanitarian organizations have reiter-
ated they are not equipped to replace UNRWA, as 
UNRWA performs essential government-like func-
tions their organizations do not have the capacity or 
structure to deliver.’’. 
(5) UNRWA remains the primary distributor of 
aid in Gaza and is essential to accommodating any 
humanitarian aid surge to the besieged population. 
(6) Following allegations of direct involvement 
by individual UNRWA employees in the devastating 
terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, UNRWA Com-
missioner-General Lazzarini acted swiftly and deci-
sively, fully cooperating with Israeli authorities, pub-
licly disclosing the allegations, and immediately ter-
minating all the employees involved. 
(7) United Nations Secretary-General Guterres 
has taken additional corrective steps, including by 
completing an investigation into the allegations by 
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the United Nation’s highest oversight body, the Of-
fice of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). 
(8) In April 2024, an independent, outside re-
view concluded that UNRWA has established a sig-
nificant number of mechanisms and procedures to 
ensure compliance with humanitarian principles with 
an emphasis on the principle of neutrality. This re-
view 
included 
recommendations 
for 
steps 
to 
strengthen neutrality policies, all of which UNRWA 
immediately agreed to implement. 
(9) Almost all parties, including the European 
Union, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Japan, 
France, Switzerland, Canada, The Netherlands, 
Australia, Italy, Austria, Finland, Iceland, Romania, 
and Estonia have already restored funding to 
UNRWA following these strong actions taken by the 
United Nations and the commitments made by 
UNRWA toward complete accountability and reform. 
(10) Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Belgium have 
since provided resources to UNRWA above their 
original commitments. 
(11) The United States has historically been 
the largest funder of UNRWA, and plays a pivotal 
role in supporting the agency’s critical mission. 
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(12) Properly vetted funding for UNRWA re-
mains in the comprehensive strategic interests of the 
United States, and its allies. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
Congress— 
(1) recognizes that preventing further erosion 
of civilian conditions in Gaza remains in the stra-
tegic and moral interests of the United States; 
(2) supports UNRWA’s unique and indispen-
sable contribution to immediately addressing urgent 
humanitarian needs in Gaza, especially in mitigating 
and stopping the spread of famine; 
(3) urges the Government of Israel to assist the 
United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services 
(OIOS) investigation team in its critical work; 
(4) urges the Administration— 
(A) to join United States allies in restoring 
funding to UNRWA given the responsible ac-
tions taken by the United Nations and 
UNRWA as well as the commitments made by 
UNRWA 
toward 
additional 
accountability, 
transparency, and reform; and 
(B) to ensure continued funding to 
UNRWA is assessed based on UNRWA’s ongo-
ing execution of the recommendations of the 
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independent outside review led by former 
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna; 
(5) recognizes implementation of some of the 
independent outside review recommendations will re-
quire United Nations member state cooperation, in-
cluding additional funding, and urges the United 
States and Israel to assist UNRWA in its implemen-
tation efforts; and 
(6) supports appropriating critical funds to 
UNRWA for fiscal year 2025. 
SEC. 4. RESTORATION OF FUNDING FOR UNRWA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Effective on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act— 
(1) title III of division G of the Further Con-
solidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 
118–47) is hereby repealed; 
(2) section 308 of the Israel Security Supple-
mental Appropriations Act, 2024 (division A of Pub-
lic Law 118–50) is hereby repealed; and 
(3) the Secretary of State shall, notwith-
standing any other provision of law and as soon as 
practicable— 
(A) rescind the temporary pause in fund-
ing for UNRWA as described in the press state-
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ment entitled ‘‘Statement on UNRWA Allega-
tions’’ issued on January 26, 2024; and 
(B) resume the provision of funding to 
UNRWA under current authorities of the De-
partment of State. 
(b) REPORTS.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter 
through December 31, 2027, the Secretary of State shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees of ju-
risdiction a report on the steps UNRWA is taking to im-
plement any recommendations made by the independent 
outside review led by former French Foreign Minister 
Catherine Colonna. 
Æ 
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