WASHINGTON, D.C. (WVDN) – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) introduced the Stop Funding Global Terrorists Act, legislation that ensures U.S. taxpayer dollars are not flowing to the Taliban—or to any other terrorist organization—through United Nations (UN) funding to Afghanistan.
Specifically, the bill prohibits U.S. contributions to the UN for assistance to Afghanistan until the State Department provides certification to Congress that: (1) no U.S. funds are included in UN cash shipments into Afghanistan; and (2) no Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization or Foreign Terrorist Organization will receive any funds via such contributions.
“The American people do not support their taxpayer dollars funding terrorism,” Senator Capito said. “I’m proud to lead my colleagues in introducing the Stop Funding Global Terrorists Act, which will ensure that U.S. funds are not included in UN cash shipments to Afghanistan or being diverted to benefit the Taliban—a repressive regime that has stripped virtually every right from women and girls in Afghanistan. If the UN can’t properly account for U.S. funding provided to Afghanistan, they should not be trusted with it.”
OTHER CAPITO EFFORTS:
- Following the UN’s announcement in November 2024 that it aimed to unlock Afghanistan’s climate funding for development projects despite Taliban repression, Senator Capito expressed her disgust in a statement on social media, which can be viewed here.
- During a September 2024 Senate Leadership Press Conference, Senator Capito discussed the Taliban’s oppression of women and girls following President Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Click here to watch those remarks.
BACKGROUND:
A May 2024 report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John F. Spoko, revealed that at least $10.9 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars has been diverted to the Taliban. Notably, SIGAR reports the $10.9 million is “likely only a fraction of the total amount of U.S. assistance funds provided to the Taliban in taxes, fees, duties, and utilities because UN agencies receiving U.S. funds did not collect data or provide relevant information about their subawardees’ payments.”
According to SIGAR, from October 2021 through September 2023 the UN received a total of $1.6 billion in U.S. funding for Afghanistan programming, approximately 63% of all U.S. aid to Afghanistan during the same period. March 2024 testimony by the SIGAR to the House Foreign Affairs Committee confirms in detail the various tactics used by the Taliban to divert aid dollars for their own benefit.
Cosponsors of the legislation include: U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Tim Scott (R-S.C.).
