KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday approved the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, a bipartisan bill designed to prevent American taxpayer funds from reaching the Taliban or other designated terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
The legislation, passed by the committee on January 29, aims to block any direct or indirect US assistance from benefiting the Taliban, which has controlled Afghanistan since August 2021.
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch described the bill as one of the most “commonsense” proposals in years. “This bill will help to prevent even one American dollar from going to terrorist organizations in Afghanistan like the Taliban,” Risch said.
He highlighted that more than 2,000 US service members were killed and over 20,000 injured during the Afghanistan war, warning that any taxpayer funding reaching the Taliban would be “a slap in the face” to veterans and their families.
The legislation requires the US State Department to develop and implement a strategy to prevent financial or material support to the Taliban from foreign countries, international organizations, and nongovernmental entities. It also includes monitoring US foreign aid to ensure it does not benefit Taliban authorities.
The bill was first introduced in early 2024 by Republican Representative Tim Burchett and passed the House of Representatives later that year. In the Senate, it was reintroduced by Republican Senator Tim Sheehy. Following the committee’s approval, Sheehy welcomed the move in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that he would press for full Senate passage and advance the bill to the president for signature.
“There’s no justification for a dime of U.S. taxpayer money finding its way into the hands of terrorists who openly call for death to America,” Sheehy wrote.
If enacted, the legislation would formally cut off US funding to Afghanistan under Taliban control, restricting not only direct aid but also oversight and participation in projects that could indirectly benefit the group.
Even though the United States ended its military and diplomatic presence in Afghanistan in 2021, it has remained the country’s largest donor. According to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) last year, the US has provided over $3.83 billion in humanitarian and development assistance since the Taliban takeover.
An earlier SIGAR report found that US partners paid nearly $11 million to the Taliban in taxes, fees, duties, and utility bills. In some instances, US funds reached the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Central Bank, and certain Taliban authorities reportedly established NGOs to access and potentially redirect humanitarian aid.
The Taliban, however, deny receiving US or other international assistance, saying that aid is used solely for humanitarian purposes.
