Michael McCaul Calls Taliban’s Misuse of U.S. Cash Aid Unacceptable

The Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, denounced the Taliban’s exploitation of U.S. cash assistance as unacceptable and called on the Biden administration to take immediate action to prevent the transfer of American taxpayers’ money to the Taliban. According to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), U.S. partner organizations have paid over $10 million in taxes to the Taliban.

Failure to pay these taxes could result in the closure of bank accounts, offices, and removal from the list of organizations authorized to operate in Afghanistan. Mr. McCaul emphasized that since the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the United States has provided more than $2.8 billion to address the humanitarian crisis created by the Taliban. However, multiple reports indicate that the Taliban may be using this financial aid to support their military activities and fund extremist-supporting networks.