Congressman Chip Roy is calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to suspend federal funding for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its affiliates, following a Department of Justice investigation into suspected misuse of federal grants by the organization, according to an April 27 statement.
Roy said he has also introduced legislation that would designate CAIR as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization and revoke its tax-exempt status. “Why should Americans’ taxpayer dollars go to groups like CAIR that facilitate terrorism? 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. Groups like CAIR that support Hamas should not be lining their pockets on the backs of hardworking Americans,” said Roy.
In his letter, Roy wrote: “We write to urge you to immediately suspend and propose the debarment of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its affiliates, including CAIR-California (CAIR-CA), from participation in United States Federal Government non-procurement programs pursuant to 2 C.F.R. Part 180… Immediate suspension is essential to prevent further harm, followed by formal debarment proceedings to bar CAIR from all federal non-procurement programs, including ORR grants.” He added: “We respectfully request that HHS conduct a full investigation into CAIR’s grant compliance and terrorist affiliations, and promptly initiate suspension if the organization is found to be in non-compliance. We look forward to working with you to protect American taxpayers and safeguard our national security.”
Since 2022, more than $15 million has been sub-granted by HHS through the California Department of Social Services for Afghan resettlement programs involving CAIR. The letter claims there is evidence linking the nonprofit with organizations such as Hamas.
Roy previously introduced two bills related to this issue: one seeking official designation of CAIR as a terrorist organization—blocking assets and prohibiting U.S persons from interacting with it—and another aiming at removing tax exemptions for groups with alleged ties to terrorism.
Roy currently serves in Congress representing Texas’s 21st district after replacing Lamar Smith in 2019 according to public records. He was re-elected several times; he defeated Kristin Hook in 2024 with nearly 62% of votes as reported by Ballotpedia, Claudia Zapata in 2022 with about 63%, Wendy Davis in 2020 with just over half the vote share, and Joseph Kopser in his first run back in 2018.
