How US taxpayer funds are flowing to a group bankrolling anti-Netanyahu protests

The U.S. government has been funneling taxpayer money to the left-wing group bankrolling protests against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israeli funding documents reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

The documents indicate that, since 2020, Foggy Bottom has sent over $38,000 to the Movement for Quality Government (MQG), the Israeli nonprofit stoking nationwide anti-Netanyahu protests that have seen protesters clash with police and target Netanyahu’s family members. MQG is seeking to takedown Netanyahu’s government over his support for major reforms to the Israeli supreme court that would significantly limit its power. The organization petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court earlier this year to oust Netanyahu, claiming he is unfit for office due to ongoing investigations into allegations of political corruption and bribery.

The State Department, which confirmed the funding, calls the group a nonpartisan organization, but its work opposing Netanyahu raises questions about how the group was able to obtain U.S. funding. The United States typically avoids funding foreign partisan groups to avoid claims of political meddling. Even before MQG emerged as the leading force behind the current wave of anti-Netanyahu protests, it made a name for itself as a leading critic of the Israeli right, which has long seen Netanyahu as its leader.

Given the Biden administration’s chilly diplomatic relationship with Netanyahu—which includes repeated criticism of Israeli settlement construction and the decision to launch an unprecedented FBI probe into Israel’s anti-terrorism operations—the U.S. funding to MQG has come under new scrutiny.

Congress, with some GOP votes, authorizes funds in the State Department budget that it can expend to foreign NGOs, that leave it (Congress’ hands off) up to the swamp at foggy bottom as to exactly where the money goes.

Foggy bottom is no different than the more Progressive (FDR) created agencies of the administrative state, with Congress always acting in concert with the Progressive ideology, which is “leave it to the experts”, because actual democratic decision making is messy and you can’t be sure what the elected representatives will do. It is no accident that the administrative state was allowed so much authority. Congress can only be trusted to designate that authority, not really control it.

But Congress can control it, if it would only choose to do so. At a minimum, it could require all “regulations” to go through the full legislative process - (1) proposed regulation is submiited to Congress, (2) the proposal goes to the appropriate Congressional committees, (3) the committees review the proposal and hold hearings, (4) the Committees vote to either turn down the proposal or approve the proposal for a full Congressional vote, (5) the full House and the full Senate vote to approve or deny the “regulation”.

As to the state department, the only funds it be expending without Congressional nitpicking is the general operations of our diplomats, embassies and consulates and their general operations. No funds outside of that should be expended by the State Department without specific Congressional approval of the purpose and each of the recipients. No funds should be given to any recipient whose total activities are not strictly limited to the specific purpose Congress agreed to. “Helping democracy” is not a specific purpose. It is an agreed on slush fund with no limits on how the State Department will use it.

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