Washington, D.C. – Congressman Josh Brecheen introduced the No More Taxpayer Cash for the Taliban Act, which would prohibit federal agencies from using taxpayer dollars for direct cash assistance in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Fox News’ Morgan Phillips wrote an exclusive report on the bill, which you can read here.
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan has plunged the country back under Taliban rule and now it turns out that our taxpayer dollars are being used to the benefit of the Taliban,” said Congressman Josh Brecheen. “This legislation is needed so we can ensure that no more of our tax dollars are being irresponsibly used in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.”
Background:
- Between the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 and January 2024, the United Nations purchased $2.9B of U.S. currency for aid use in Afghanistan. This U.S. currency was purchased using funds from donor governments, $2.6B of which came from the United States.
- Multiple Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reports in the past year have detailed this process, finding that the Taliban is directly and indirectly benefiting from billions in UN-administered direct cash assistance–most of which is ultimately funded by U.S. taxpayers.
- According to SIGAR, the Taliban government “taxes” this cash aid at multiple points in the distribution process, providing valuable revenues that can be spent on their military, domestic security, and financing for terrorism.
Original co-sponsors include Representatives Tim Burchett (R-TN), Barry Moore (R-AL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Eric Burlison (R-MO), and Randy Feenstra (R-IA).