PHILADELPHIA – May 13, 2025 – The Middle East Forum’s (MEF) latest report, “America for Sale: Qatar’s $40 Billion Spending Spree Buys Influence and Control of Elite Institutions,” exposes Qatari government investments across U.S. financial sectors, from businesses and lobby firms, to think tanks, universities, and K-12 education. The New York Sun calls MEF’s study “a highly detailed look at Qatar’s enormous influence campaign, in which the tiny kingdom has deployed its enormous natural gas and oil wealth to win America’s approbation.”
Marking the first attempt to empirically quantify Qatar’s strategic investments in the U.S. marketplace, “America for Sale” presents a comprehensive picture of the Gulf emirate’s use of petrodollars to purchase political influence and shape global opinion.
Doha’s investments include billions in critical infrastructure, including crude oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) exports, even though Qatar is America’s chief competitor in global LNG sales. As the U.S. seeks energy independence from the Middle East, American companies are outsourcing control of the U.S. power grid and green energy products to Qatar.
Strategic moves include investments in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, which represent a threat to U.S. national security interests and Americans’ privacy data. In real estate, the Gulf emirate’s ventures include more than $6 billion in Manhattan trophy properties, even as New York legislators seek to impose foreign ownership restrictions.
“America for Sale” discloses over $71 million in lobbying and public relations expenses targeting K Street powerhouses, including contracts with former Congress members, legislative staff, and campaign managers from both sides of the aisle.
Ignoring post-October 7 objections to its $6.3 billion in gifts to American colleges, the report shows Qatar donated record sums to institutions of higher learning. Simultaneously, Qatar Foundation International invested millions in K-12 classrooms. Doha’s funding of respected think tanks, such as the Brookings Institute and RAND Corporation, undermines their objectivity and independence.
“It’s time for American policymakers to accept that Qatar is a foreign adversary not unlike Iran, China, and North Korea,” said Benjamin Baird, director of MEF Action and the report’s author. “We must strike a balance between growing our economy and outsourcing control of our critical infrastructure and advanced technologies to foreign adversaries.”
“Qatar’s $40 billion infiltration is a direct threat to American values and security,” said Gregg Roman, MEF’s executive director. “Let’s end the foreign payoffs, protect our national security, and stop the soft power Trojan horse in its tracks.”
To read the full report, click here.
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