US Senator Rand Paul said on Thursday that proposed legislation would claw back $631 million earmarked for Afghanistan reconstruction and permanently block US taxpayer money from reaching the Taliban.
“If H.R. 260 becomes law, $631 million meant for Afghanistan reconstruction will be clawed back to the Treasury,” Paul said in a statement, adding that “not another dollar should ever reach the Taliban” after two decades of war.
Paul said the bill, known as the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, would end what he described as Washington’s “blind commitment” to Afghanistan-related spending and tighten safeguards on the relocation of Afghans to the United States, arguing that national security must take priority.
His remarks came after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the legislation on Thursday. Committee chairman Jim Risch called the bill one of the most “commonsense” measures considered by the panel, saying it was designed to prevent any US funds from benefiting militant groups in Afghanistan.
“This bill will help prevent even one American dollar from going to terrorist organizations in Afghanistan like the Taliban,” Risch said, citing the deaths of more than 2,000 US service members during the war.
The legislation was introduced in January 2025 by Senator Tim Sheehy, along with Senators Bill Hagerty, Tommy Tuberville and Steve Daines. Sheehy said he would push for passage in the full Senate.
The bill would make it US policy to oppose financial or material support to the Taliban by foreign governments and non-governmental organisations, and would require the US State Department to develop a strategy to counter foreign assistance that benefits the group.
Supporters of the measure point to findings by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which reported in 2025 that $10.72 billion had flowed into Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, including $3.83 billion from US taxpayers. Some estimates cited in the report suggested up to 70% of the funds may have ended up in Taliban hands.
The State Department halted direct US assistance to Afghanistan in 2025, but aid from foreign governments and international organisations — some of which receive US funding — has continued.
The Taliban deny receiving US assistance and say international aid is used solely for humanitarian purposes. The United States does not recognise the Taliban government.
The bill now moves to the full Senate, where its backers say it is aimed at tightening oversight of US funds and preventing any future financial support from reaching militant groups in Afghanistan.
