Waiver of Restrictions on Providing Funds to the Palestinian Authority

President Bush waived restrictions in the 2004 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act to allow U.S. funds to flow to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Finance for budget support, certifying this as important to national security interests. The Secretary of State is directed to transmit the determination to Congress with a required report and publish it in the Federal Register.

Federal Register Open PDF 69 FR 78849

Impact dates

Date TBD
Publish determination in Federal Register
Date TBD
Transmit determination to Congress with report per section 552(d)

Key directives

Waive section 552(a) restrictions on providing funds to Palestinian Authority
Provide appropriated funds to Ministry of Finance of Palestinian Authority for budget support
Transmit determination to Congress with report under section 552(d)
Publish determination in Federal Register

Who is ordered

Secretary of State · Department of State

Timeline

Immediate

Waiver takes effect upon certification
Funds authorized for Palestinian Authority Ministry of Finance budget support

Near term (90d)

Secretary of State must transmit determination to Congress
Secretary of State must submit report per section 552(d)
Federal Register publication

Long term

Continued U.S. financial support for Palestinian governance structures
Potential influence on Palestinian institutional capacity and regional stability

Risks & tensions

Congressional oversight tensions: waiver overrides legislative restrictions on funding Palestinian Authority
Accountability risk: no explicit deadline for congressional report in text
Counterterrorism concerns: funds to Palestinian Authority historically contested due to security risks
Ambiguity: 'as carried forward, as amended' creates some uncertainty about exact statutory baseline