WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES – The Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, says that the Biden administration must take immediate action to prevent US taxpayer dollars from reaching the Taliban.
In a statement on Tuesday, May 21, following the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report, which disclosed that the Taliban have received as much as nearly $11 million in US taxpayers’ money, Mr. McCaul said it is “unacceptable” for any US funding to benefit the Taliban.
A recent report by SIGAR revealed that U.S. implementing partners in Afghanistan have paid the Taliban administration at least $10.9 million in the forms of taxes, fees, duties, or utility bills.
The report highlighted that 38 out of 65 US implementing partners in Afghanistan have reported paying taxes, fees, duties, and utilities to the Taliban government. These payments have totaled $10.9 million, including $10.4 million in taxes, $346,839 for utilities, $176,596 in fees, and $9,215 in custom duties.
SIGAR says the Taliban mandated these payments. Those organizations failing to comply with taxes, fees, and duties face severe consequences, including frozen bank accounts, office closures, and revoked licenses to operate in Afghanistan.
The U.S. government watchdog raised concerns about the Taliban directly collecting these funds. SIGAR warned it could legitimize the Taliban regime in the eyes of the Afghan people as a regime that is supported by the United States.
U.S. lawmakers have previously voiced concerns about the Taliban’s infiltration and use of U.S. funds delivered to Afghanistan. The U.S. continues to be the largest donor of humanitarian and development aid to Afghanistan, providing nearly $3 billion since the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
Since then, Congressman McCaul has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s approach to Afghanistan funding. He argues that the money is “lining the pockets of the Taliban” and has threatened to block future funding unless assured it won’t reach the Taliban.
“The Taliban are repressing women. They can’t go out of their homes. They can’t get educated. Women can’t be hired by these NGOs, these charitable organizations in Afghanistan, and we are paying the money. The US taxpayers are funding this,” Mr. McCaul said last year.
“We need some assurance that this is going to go to the right hands and it’s going to help the women in Afghanistan. If the Taliban can’t assure us of that, I think we need to be prepared to cut that funding off as a stick rather than giving them just a carrot,” he added.
