Does the US Fund the Taliban? What We Know as House Passes Bill
The No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, introduced by Republican Representative Tim Burchett, passed on Monday.
The Taliban is categorized as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and was ousted from power when the U.S. and its allies invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
After a two-decade presence, the U.S. left Afghanistan in a widely criticized withdrawal under former President Joe Biden and the Taliban soon declared a new government, which is unrecognized by any foreign state or international institution.
While direct U.S. funding of the Taliban controlling Afghanistan is prohibited, Burchett had pointed to reports the group had benefited indirectly from taxes and cash shipments to their centrally controlled bank, raising questions about Washington's policy and the effectiveness of humanitarian aid to the country.
The U.S. has provided nearly $2 billion in assistance to Afghanistan between August 2021, and January 2024, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
While USAID said no assistance went to the Taliban, a May 2024 report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in the same period, around $10.9 million in U.S. aid had gone to the group.
This was because the previous Afghanistan government, according to the SIGAR report, had set up a system to benefit from agencies delivering aid in which it would take a share of taxes, utility bills, and other fees for operating in the country where nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and public international organizations (PIOs) were working.
In a press statement Monday, the foreign affairs committee said weekly cash shipments of nearly $40 million were being sent to Afghanistan's Taliban-controlled Central Bank.
Burchett said on the House floor on Monday that Afghans resisting Taliban rule had told him "nearly all of the cash aid sent to Afghanistan ends up in the hands of the Taliban."
Ali Maisam Nazary, head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) told Newsweek on Tuesday that under the previous Biden administration, millions of U.S. dollars ended up in Taliban hands due to weak oversight and misguided aid policies.
He welcomed the House-passed bill, which if made into law would ensure no U.S. tax dollars can be used to "aid" Taliban rule.
"A secure free and humanitarian zone similar to northern Afghanistan in the 1990s is essential," Nazary said , adding that aid should be delivered in Taliban-free areas with full oversight to ensure it reaches the people of the war-torn nation and not terrorist groups.
"This will ensure that no aid, even a dollar, is exploited by any terrorist group including Al Qaeda and the Taliban," he added.
In a press statement Monday, the Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said the bill "makes sure not a single penny of American taxpayer money ends up in the hands of the Taliban—not directly, not through back doors, and not via weak-willed foreign governments or shady NGOs."
Republican Representative Tim Burchett on Monday: "Mr. Speaker, they (Taliban) will hate us for free. We do not need to give them hard-earned American tax dollars."
Ali Maisam Nazary, head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan: "There is no mechanism in a Taliban-occupied Afghanistan that can prevent the exploitation of aid by terrorists at the moment."
The legislation would give the Secretary of State 180 days to develop a strategy to discourage foreign governments and charities from aiding the Taliban, supporting Afghan women and report to Congress about aid to Afghanistan.
The legislation passed by voice vote without objection on Monday and will now proceed to the Senate. Nazary has called on the U.S. Senate "to act with the same clarity and courage in passing this bill."
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