Washington/Kabul, Jan 30 (.) The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved legislation aimed at cutting off US assistance to Afghanistan while the country remains under Taliban rule, marking a renewed push by Republicans to curb foreign aid, which as per them is being used to aid militant/terror groups in the country.
According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Washington has provided more than $3.83 billion in humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, while claiming that the Taliban uses all monetary assets for partaking in terror activities.
Republican Senator Rand Paul, a leading backer of the bill, said the measure would redirect over $631 million earmarked for Afghanistan’s reconstruction back to the US Treasury if the proposed legislation passes into law.
Paul argued that American resources should be focused on domestic security rather than “failed” engagements in other nations.
Titled ‘No Taxpayer Dollars for Terrorists’, the bill would officially bar all US funding to any country or non-governmental organisation that sustains the Taliban regime. The GOP lawmaker remarked that “America must not bankroll those who side with our enemies,” chiding the historic use of US foreign aid, which he alleged has too often meant spending without accountability.
After the bill cleared the committee on Thursday, Paul wrote on X that it would also end what he called Washington’s “blind commitment” to resettling Afghans without sufficient safeguards.
Citing the killing of a US National Guard member by an Afghan migrant who entered the country through a resettlement programme, Paul stressed that national security must take centre stage, and be prioritised above all else.
Committee chairman Senator Jim Risch said in a statement that the legislation would ensure no US taxpayer funds flow to terrorist organisations in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, which Washington doesn’t recognise as legitimate rulers, and still designates them as a terror group, despite the Islamic hardliners being in power for more than nearly 5 years now.
In the House, Representative Tim Burchett, a key sponsor of the measure, said it would soon be brought to the Senate floor for a full vote. With Republicans holding a narrow majority, the bill would still require Democratic support to pass.
Democrats previously resisted a complete cut-off of aid to Afghanistan, warning that halting humanitarian assistance could exacerbate the war-torn nation’s worsening humanitarian crisis. It remains unclear how much backing the proposal will receive in the full Senate.
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