HR9757-118

2. Findings; sense of congress Congress finds the following: Billions of United States taxpayer dollars are being flown into Afghanistan, where they are directly and indirectly benefiting the illegitimate Taliban regime. The sudden and disorganized withdrawal of the United States military presence in Afghanistan ordered by the President in August 2021 destabilized the Afghan National Security Forces, leading to the Taliban taking control of Kabul on August 15, 2021. According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), since August 2021, the United Nations has purchased and transported at least $2,900,000,000 for use in Afghanistan. As of January 2024, of the $2,900,000,000 that the United Nations has sent to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since August 2021, the United States Government has provided $2,600,000,000 of taxpayer dollars. Inside Afghanistan, the United Nations uses this United States currency to buy local currency, afghani, from the Taliban-controlled central bank of Afghanistan, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB). According to SIGAR, the Taliban has directly and indirectly benefited from United States currency shipments to Afghanistan in multiple ways. The Taliban taxes direct cash assistance, stealing millions of United States taxpayer dollars. The Taliban charges currency exchange fees when international organizations convert United States currency into afghani using DAB. The revenues from aid taxation and currency exchange fees can be used by the Taliban to fund their priorities, including their military and security services. The influx of United States currency into the Taliban-controlled central bank has propped up the value of the afghani. United Nations purchases of afghani from the Taliban-controlled central bank have provided the Taliban with millions in largely untraceable United States currency. It is the sense of Congress that no taxpayer dollars should be given to support the illegitimate Taliban regime in Afghanistan.