US House Passes Bill To Block Taliban From Accessing Foreign, Humanitarian Aid
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at preventing the Taliban from benefiting from foreign and humanitarian aid intended for Afghanistan.
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at preventing the Taliban from benefiting from foreign and humanitarian aid intended for Afghanistan.
The legislation, titled the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, was introduced by Congressman Tim Burchett and approved on Monday.
The bill mandates the US Department of State to develop strategies to block Taliban access to international assistance and to report its efforts to Congress. It also calls on the State Department to urge other countries to withhold financial aid from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
While it remains unclear how much US aid the Taliban has directly accessed, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified in a congressional hearing that the group may have indirectly obtained approximately $10 million. Reports suggest the Taliban has gained funds by taxing aid deliveries or interfering with their distribution.
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the United States has provided more than $3.5 billion in aid to Afghanistan. Lawmakers including Burchett argue that a significant portion of this assistance has ended up in Taliban hands.
Burchett, a Republican representative from Tennessee, has claimed that up to $40 million in US taxpayer funds may have been delivered to the Taliban using private aircraft. He has also accused the group of maintaining ties with al-Qaeda.
The bill, introduced on 23 June 2025, requires the State Department to compile a report on countries that have provided aid to Afghanistan under Taliban control since 2021.
The legislation builds on previous measures introduced during the Trump administration, which had already curtailed most US aid to Afghanistan over concerns that the Taliban could divert it.
