US President Joe Biden signed HB 2882, called the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” on Saturday. This act provides federal government funding through September 2024 and includes a provision that prohibits funds from being used for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The act also cuts funding to the UN International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, and continues the US’s annual security commitment of $3.3 billion to Israel through grants, which shall be disbursed within 30 days of the act’s enactment.

Biden characterized the bill as a compromise and celebrated its passage, saying it “keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security.” He went on to list what he saw as the bill’s accomplishments, stating:

It rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border that my Administration successfully fought to include. That’s good news for the American people.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz praised the act’s prohibition on UNRWA funds, saying “UNRWA is part of the problem and cannot be part of the solution. UNRWA will not remain in Gaza after Hamas is removed.” He repeated Israel’s claim that “thousands of UNRWA employees are involved in Hamas’s terrorist activities and their facilities have been used for terrorist purposes” and called on other countries to ban UNRWA funding.

In contrast, US Senator Bernie Sanders voted against the act and criticized the act’s aid to Israel and ban on UNRWA funding, saying it would exacerbate suffering in Gaza. He said:

While hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children face starvation in Gaza, this bill actually prohibits funding to UNRWA, the key United Nations aid agency delivering life-saving humanitarian support. This will only intensify the already horrific situation in Gaza. This bill also provides another $3.3 billion in U.S. military aid for Netanyahu’s right-wing government to continue this barbaric war. The Netanyahu government should not receive another penny from U.S. taxpayers.

Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute (AAI), joined Sanders in criticizing the bill, telling Al Jazeera, “Our political process has chosen to cut US funding to literally the only entity that can address the level of suffering and scale of suffering that’s happening in Gaza right now.”

In January, UNRWA announced that it fired several employees who were allegedly involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. In response to this, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced a review of whether the UNRWA is “ensur[ing] neutrality” and properly responding to allegations of possible breaches. This led several countries, including the US and Canada to suspend their funding for the UNRWA after reports emerged that 12 UNRWA staff members were part of October 7. Some countries, like Australia and Finland, have resumed their funding.

The European Commission (EC) has increased their support for Palestinians by allocating an extra EUR 68 million through international partners, adding to the EUR 82 million already designated for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in 2024, totaling EUR 150 million.