Photo: @SenCapito

US Lawmakers Keep Pushing to Block Funds from Reaching Taliban

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito has introduced a bill in Congress aimed at preventing American taxpayer money from flowing to the Taliban or other “terrorist groups” through UN funding to Afghanistan. 

The legislation, titled “Stop Funding Global Terrorists Act,” was introduced on Thursday, January 30, and is cosponsored by eight other senators. If passed, it would halt US contributions to UN cash shipments to Afghanistan until the State Department ensures that no US funds benefit the Taliban or other terrorist groups.

“The American people do not support their taxpayer dollars funding terrorism,” Senator Capito said in a press release after introducing the bill. “This bill will ensure that U.S. funds are not part of UN cash shipments to Afghanistan or diverted to benefit the Taliban—a repressive regime that has stripped nearly every right from women and girls in Afghanistan,” she added.

Senator Capito further criticized the UN’s financial oversight, saying, “If the UN can’t properly account for U.S. funding provided to Afghanistan, they should not be trusted with it.”

The bill is the latest in a series of efforts by U.S. lawmakers to address concerns over the potential misuse of American aid in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, Congressman Tim Burchett introduced similar legislation that would require detailed reporting on UN cash shipments to Afghanistan and implement measures to prevent the Taliban from accessing such funds.

Last year, Marco Rubio, then a senator and now the U.S. Secretary of State, proposed a bill calling for the suspension of U.S. aid to Afghanistan over fears of terrorism financing. “American taxpayer dollars should not benefit terrorist organizations, like the Taliban. Unfortunately, we are seeing this scenario play out today, in real time,” Rubio said at the time. “Until we can be sure, we should withhold contributions to the U.N.,” he added.

Despite ending its diplomatic and military presence in Afghanistan in 2021, the US remains the largest donor to the country. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the US has contributed over $3.3 billion to the UN cash shipments initiative for Afghanistan.

The UN maintains that the funds are strictly for humanitarian purposes and kept beyond the Taliban’s control. However, concerns persist that some of the aid may indirectly benefit the group, potentially funding terrorism or its military operations.

Last year, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that nearly $11 million in US-partnered funds were paid to the Taliban in taxes, fees, duties, and utility bills. The watchdog also found that some US funds have made their way to the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Central Bank, and that certain Taliban authorities have created fake NGOs to divert and misuse humanitarian aid.

As the debate over U.S. aid to Afghanistan continues, Senator Capito’s bill underscores growing concerns in Washington about ensuring that American taxpayer dollars do not support terrorist activities. The legislation now awaits further action in Congress.