You’d think that with all the money the U.S. government throws around, they’d at least have a system in place to make sure taxpayer dollars aren’t funding terrorists. But here we are—another day, another embarrassing example of federal incompetence. The latest revelation? The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) allegedly provided full funding for none other than Anwar al-Awlaki to attend Colorado State University. Yes, that Anwar al-Awlaki—the al Qaeda terrorist linked to the Fort Hood massacre and several other terrorist plots.
According to a USAID form from June 1990, uncovered through a FOIA request by Intelwire and shared by reporter Pamela Browne, al-Awlaki received financial support from USAID after fraudulently claiming to be a Yemeni national. For those keeping score at home, al-Awlaki was actually born in New Mexico. But hey, when it comes to bureaucratic red tape, why let little things like facts get in the way?
The document even lists his birthplace as Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, which—get this—he admitted was a deliberate lie encouraged by American officials who knew his father. Why? So he could qualify for a scholarship reserved for foreign nationals. Apparently, lying to the federal government is only a problem if you’re not connected to the right people.
So not only did USAID hand over taxpayer money to a future al Qaeda leader, but they also didn’t bother to verify his background. No checks, no red flags—just a rubber stamp and a scholarship. Meanwhile, hardworking Americans are drowning in student loan debt, but sure, let’s fund the education of terrorists-in-training.
This isn’t just some isolated incident of bureaucratic laziness. It’s part of a broader pattern of government waste, fraud, and abuse that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is now uncovering. DOGE’s investigations into corruption and mismanagement across federal agencies are pulling back the curtain on just how careless Washington has been with your money.
USAID’s entire mission is supposedly about promoting democracy and development abroad. But apparently, they forgot to add “vetting scholarship applicants for ties to terrorism” to the to-do list. You’d think after 9/11, agencies like USAID would tighten things up, but nope—this document has been floating around since 1990 without anyone raising an eyebrow.
At what point do we stop calling this incompetence and start calling it what it really is—gross negligence? Maybe DOGE can’t fix every agency overnight, but at least President Trump is making sure someone’s finally paying attention. Too bad it took decades—and who knows how many taxpayer dollars wasted—before anyone did.
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