US Lawmakers Move To Block $631 Million In Aid To Afghanistan
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved legislation seeking to halt US assistance to Afghanistan under Taliban control.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved legislation seeking to halt US assistance to Afghanistan under Taliban control.
Republican Senator Rand Paul said that if the bill becomes law, $631 million allocated for Afghanistan’s reconstruction would be returned to the US Treasury. Paul said US resources should be used to defend the country, adding that the bill, titled No Taxpayer Dollars for Terrorists, would cut funding to what he described as failed missions abroad and refocus policy on national security and taxpayers.
He said no country or non-governmental organisation that sustains the Taliban should receive US taxpayer money. “America must not bankroll those who side with our enemies,” Paul said.
After the bill’s approval on Thursday, Paul wrote on X that the legislation would end what he called Washington’s blind commitment to resettling Afghans without adequate safeguards. He cited the killing of a National Guard member by a militant who entered the United States through a resettlement programme, saying security must be prioritised.
Paul said US foreign aid had for too long meant spending without accountability and added that the bill would ensure taxpayers’ money does not fuel corruption or terrorism overseas.
In a statement, Senator Jim Risch, the committee’s chairman, said the measure would ensure that no US taxpayer funds go to what he described as terrorist organisations in Afghanistan, including the Taliban.
Rep. Tim Burchett, a key sponsor of the legislation, said it would soon be brought to the Senate floor for a vote. Republicans will need Democratic support for the measure to pass.
Democrats have previously opposed a complete cut-off of aid to Afghanistan, and it remains unclear how much support the Republican-led bill will receive in the full Senate.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has reported that the United States has provided more than $3.83 billion in humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
