WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 25, 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), passed the House of Representatives under suspension of the rules.
“13 brave U.S. servicemembers, including my constituent Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss, lost their lives in the Afghanistan withdrawal. We need to make sure our tax dollars don’t go toward the terrorists who killed them.” Said Rep. Burchett.
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-house