WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 13, 2023) – Today, H.R. 6586, To Require a Strategy to Oppose Financial or Material Support by Foreign Countries to the Taliban, which was introduced by U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02), was passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“We should understand how the Taliban is funded and be good stewards of our taxpayers’ dollars,” said Rep. Burchett. "I was proud to work with Republicans and Democrats to get this bill through the committee and I look forward to seeing it move through Congress.”
H.R. 6586 would:
- Require the Secretary of State to report on countries that have provided the Taliban with assistance, the amount of assistance, and how the Taliban has used that assistance.
- Require the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to discourage foreign countries from providing aid to the Taliban and to determine whether countries that do should still receive U.S. assistance.
- Require a report on Direct Cash Assistance Programs in Afghanistan that includes identification of partners and recipients of direct cash assistance, descriptions of how these payments occur, and how the State Department prevents the Taliban from accessing cash assistance.
- Require a report on the Afghan Fund which includes a list of Taliban members working at Da Afghanistan Bank (Afghanistan’s central bank), a description of the influence the Taliban has over the bank and the Afghan Fund’s Board of Trustees, and what controls are in place to ensure disbursements are not diverted to the Taliban from the Afghan Fund.
The full text can be found here. Rep. Burchett’s remarks about the bill in the House Foreign Affairs Committee can be found here.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://burchett.house.gov/media/press-releases/burchett-bill-stop-taliban-getting-us-tax-dollars-passes-committee