Defund the Palestinian Authority

Research notes

• Congress has not enacted a new PA defunding measure. The FY2026 appropriations act (Public Law 119-75, Division F, text read at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ75/html/PLAW-119publ75.htm) re-enacts the long-standing §7040 prohibition on funds “to the Palestinian Authority” with the presidential national-security waiver, the Taylor Force Act application (§7041(k)(4)), and the bar on assistance if the Palestinians gain UN state membership or pursue an ICC case — the same framework as before 2025, so not recorded as an event.
• State’s April 2026 “Report to Congress on Palestinian Payments for Acts of Terrorism and Limitation on Assistance to the West Bank and Gaza” (https://www.state.gov/releases/bureau-of-near-eastern-affairs/2026/04/report-to-congress-on-palestinian-payments-for-acts-of-terrorism-and-limitation-on-assistance-to-the-west-bank-and-gaza/, read in full; the page carries no day-of-month) says the Secretary could not certify under Taylor Force Act §1004(a) for September 2025–February 2026 and that “no Economic Support Funds were withheld … because no ESF were provided during the reporting period that were subject to the requirement” — i.e. nothing was flowing to withhold. A lead for the proposition that PA-related ESF stayed at zero; not an instrument.
• In the Federal Register and White House records, no presidential document, rule or notice mentions the Palestinian Authority other than the December 2025 entry-restriction proclamation (visa side, not funding); EO 14199 (#515) defunded UNRWA, which is a UN agency, not the PA. Bills in Congress mentioning UNRWA (H.R. 1252, S. 898, H.R. 2411, S. 4295, H.R. 9680, H.R. 9893) are all in committee and none concerns PA funding.
• Washington Post, 2025-02-19, “Trump administration freezes funds to Palestinian security forces” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/19/trump-aid-freeze-palestinian-authority-israel/) could not be opened — lead; the NPR piece carries the same fact.
• Whether PA security assistance resumed after the review (INCLE funds to the PA Security Forces are a recurring line) was not established; if it did, this drops to attempted.