State Department spokesman Matthew Miller reiterated on Monday that the United States does not fund the Taliban, addressing a question during a press briefing.
According to a U.S. watchdog report released last week, two State Department bureaus failed to comply with internal policies for vetting aid groups in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, resulting in $293 million in funds potentially reaching extremists.
The U.S. has faced criticism for its weekly cash aid to Afghanistan, which some critics allege benefits the Taliban. The U.S. maintains that the funds are provided to the United Nations to support its aid programs.
“With respect to the weapons, I would defer to my colleagues at the Pentagon, who are the appropriate agency to speak to that,” Miller said in response to a question about recent remarks by Donald Trump regarding U.S. weapons left behind and their access by militants.
He added, “When it comes to U.S. funding of the Taliban, no, we flatly do not fund the Taliban. We have made that clear on a number of occasions.”
Separately, Representative Timothy Burchett has introduced a bill in Congress, sharply criticizing the State Department for not preventing Taliban access to U.S. humanitarian aid for Afghanistan.
“The American people’s money (taxpayer dollars) should not be given to our enemies,” Burchett said in a congressional meeting. On June 25, he announced that the “No Taxpayer Funding for the Taliban” bill had passed in the House.
If the bill is approved by the Senate, the State Department will be required to report on which countries have provided aid to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since 2021. Additionally, the bill calls on the State Department to encourage other nations to ensure their aid does not reach the Taliban.
