Republicans in Congress are raising the alarm over the United States continuing to provide financial aid to Afghanistan despite mounting evidence money is either being diverted away from its intended purpose or the Taliban has infiltrated and are in control of the programs.
In May, GOP members on the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power demanding answers on how much of the $2.02 billion for humanitarian and development efforts that was allocated following the 2021 withdrawal has fallen into the hands of the Taliban:
While the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is undeniable, it is essential that U.S.-provided assistance benefits suffering Afghans rather than the Taliban. Reports of Taliban interference in U.S. assistance efforts are growing, and yet Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko testified on April 19, 2023 that he was unable to report 'on the extent to which our government may be funding the Taliban and other nefarious groups [in Afghanistan] with U.S. taxpayer dollars' due to USAID and the State Department’s noncompliance with SIGAR’s oversight efforts.
Since then, SIGAR released a report at the end of July detailing how the Taliban are taking advantage of money still flowing towards programs that are meant to go towards women employment, education, and food security:
The Taliban have pressured NGOs to sign memoranda of understanding (MOUs) as part of their efforts to oversee and control NGO activities. This poses a key challenge for U.S. implementing partners because USAID/Afghanistan’s policy prohibits its implementing partners from signing MOUs with the Taliban...
A U.S. Institute of Peace analysis for USAID found that the Taliban are 'pushing for ever-increasing degrees of credit and control over the delivery of aid.' Most donor funding is directed through the UN system and 'According to multiple UN officials across different agencies, the Taliban have effectively infiltrated and influenced most UN-managed assistance programming.'
"On June 5, 2023, the UN revised downward its [Humanitarian Response Plan] request to $3.2 billion due to donor fatigue and constraints in providing aid after the Taliban banned Afghan women from working for the UN," SIGAR further reported, noting the "United States remains the single largest contributor, having donated $74.4 million thus far."
Since Fiscal Year 2002, the U.S. has "appropriated or otherwise made available approximately $147.06 billion in funds for reconstruction and related activities in Afghanistan."
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