U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) introduced a bill this week that would discourage countries that receive U.S. foreign aid from sending money to the Taliban.
The average American would be surprised at how much taxpayer money ends up in the hands of the Taliban and goes towards funding the never-ending war in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/de7QDGOyjj
— Rep. Tim Burchett (@RepTimBurchett) December 7, 2023
Burchett’s No Tax Dollars for the Taliban Act (H.R.6586) would require the Secretary of State to report on countries that have “provided the Taliban with assistance, the amount of assistance, and how the Taliban has used that assistance.”
The bill would also require the Secretary of State to “develop a strategy to discourage foreign countries from providing aid to the Taliban and to determine whether countries that do should still receive U.S. assistance,” according to the Tennessee congressman’s office.
Furthermore, Burchett’s bill would require the following reports to be compiled and submitted to the appropriate congressional committees in relation to the Taliban:
- A report on Direct Cash Assistance Programs in Afghanistan that includes identification of partners and recipients of direct cash assistance, descriptions of how these payments occur, and how the State Department prevents the Taliban from accessing cash assistance; and
- A report on the Afghan Fund which includes a list of Taliban members working at Da Afghanistan Bank (Afghanistan’s central bank), a description of the influence the Taliban has over the bank and the Afghan Fund’s Board of Trustees, and what controls are in place to ensure disbursements are not diverted to the Taliban from the Afghan Fund.
“There should be strict measures in place to stop any country that receives foreign aid from the United States from turning around and sending money to terrorists,” Burchett said in a statement. “We know the Taliban has already intercepted a lot of weapons and resources it shouldn’t have, and it’s our duty to cut them off wherever we can.”
Burchett’s bill is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul (R-TX-10) and Michael Waltz (R-FL-06).
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
