Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee in an interview with Amu TV stressed that the United States should cut off all financial support to Afghanistan, arguing that the Taliban should not have access to American resources.
A group of Republican lawmakers, including Burchett, is working on a new legislation aimed at blocking the Taliban’s access to U.S. financial assistance. According to the proposed bill, all U.S. funds flowing to Afghanistan under Taliban control would be frozen.
When asked about the potential impact of this legislation, Burchett said: “I think it’ll hit them where it hurts the most—in their pocketbook. It will stop any funding from America. It will call them out. And internationally, I think they will be put in such a spot that it will force them to go further underground, and if not, disband.”
Distrust of U.N. oversight
Responding to concerns that American aid is not directly going to the Taliban, Burchett expressed deep skepticism about U.N. involvement. “No, I don’t trust the U.N. They have not had our interest at heart,” he said. “They take our funding, and then attack our enemies verbally, if not physically. It’s a mystery why we continue to fund them, as we are one of the largest contributors, yet they side with our enemies.”
Burchett was also critical of any attempts to provide financial support to the Taliban, suggesting that such efforts were akin to “bribing them to be nice to us.”
He warned that this approach could create a dangerous vacuum in the future. “It’s an empty vessel that will run dry one day, and that creates a vacuum for someone else to come in. I just think it’s a bad precedent,” he said.
Republican-led effort to block Taliban aid
Fox News reported on Sunday that the draft of this new legislation, co-authored by seven lawmakers, aims to ensure that U.S. taxpayer money does not reach the Taliban.
One of the bill’s co-sponsors, Representative Josh Brecheen, told Fox News that the legislation is intended to block any direct access by the Taliban to U.S. funds.
According to the report, the United States has been one of the largest donors to Afghanistan since the Taliban took power three years ago, spending $21 billion on Afghan refugees, with $2.9 billion transferred through the United Nations to Afghanistan. Some of this aid has reportedly ended up in the hands of the Taliban.
At the same time, Afghan women and girls have been urging the international community to cut off all financial aid to the Taliban.
These calls come amid growing concerns about the group’s repression of women’s rights and its control over international assistance.
Earlier this month, Burchett, who serves as Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced in July that a bill had been introduced to cut off financial aid to the Taliban.
The legislation would specifically prohibit any direct financial assistance from U.S. federal agencies to the United Nations that could be transferred to the Taliban.
