No More Taxpayer Cash for the Taliban Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9757 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9757

  To prohibit the use of Federal funds for direct cash assistance in 
                    Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 23, 2024

  Mr. Brecheen (for himself, Mr. Burchett, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Mr. 
  Norman, Mr. Langworthy, Mr. Rosendale, Mr. Crane, Mr. Burlison, Mr. 
  Feenstra, and Mr. Palmer) introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To prohibit the use of Federal funds for direct cash assistance in 
                    Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``No More Taxpayer Cash for the 
Taliban Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Billions of United States taxpayer dollars are being 
        flown into Afghanistan, where they are directly and indirectly 
        benefiting the illegitimate Taliban regime.
            (2) 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.
            (3) 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.
            (4) 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.
            (5) 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).
            (6) According to SIGAR, the Taliban has directly and 
        indirectly benefited from United States currency shipments to 
        Afghanistan in multiple ways.
            (7) The Taliban ``taxes'' direct cash assistance, stealing 
        millions of United States taxpayer dollars.
            (8) The Taliban charges currency exchange fees when 
        international organizations convert United States currency into 
        afghani using DAB.
            (9) 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.
            (10) The influx of United States currency into the Taliban-
        controlled central bank has propped up the value of the 
        afghani.
            (11) United Nations purchases of afghani from the Taliban-
        controlled central bank have provided the Taliban with millions 
        in largely untraceable United States currency.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that no 
taxpayer dollars should be given to support the illegitimate Taliban 
regime in Afghanistan.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITIONS.

    (a) Direct Cash Assistance Prohibited.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, no Federal funds may be made available by any Federal 
department or agency in the form of direct cash assistance to any 
person in Afghanistan.
    (b) Assistance to United Nations and Other Nongovernmental 
Organizations Limited.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no 
Federal funds may be obligated or expended by any Federal department or 
agency to provide funds to the United Nations, a non-governmental 
organization, or a public international organization, if such funds 
will be used to provide direct cash assistance to any person in 
Afghanistan.
    (c) Prohibition on Sale of United States Currency to the United 
Nations.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Board of 
Governors of the Federal Reserve System may not sell, or authorize a 
Federal reserve bank to sell, United States currency to the United 
Nations for the purpose of direct cash assistance in Afghanistan.
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