Afghanistan Peace CampaignRepresentative Tim Burchett urged the US Senate to also pass the bill and send it to President Donald Trump as soon as possible.
The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at prohibiting the Islamic Emirate from accessing US aid.
Representative Tim Burchett urged the US Senate to also pass the bill and send it to President Donald Trump as soon as possible.
Burchett said that the US had sent over $5 billion in cash to Kabul after the Islamic Emirate retook power.
“Defund the Taliban just passed unanimous. Thank you all so much everybody all across the country. Y’all been just incredibly supportive of this thing. It’s been over a year-long journey now. We got to get it over to the Senate … and let’s get this thing passed, $40 million a week, over $5 billion now we think has gone to the Taliban,” he said.
However, the Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Economy has denied interference in international humanitarian aid, stating that such assistance is delivered directly by United Nations agencies.
Abdul Rahman Habib, the ministry’s spokesperson, said: “Humanitarian assistance is a key activity for the UN, aimed at helping people during crises and reducing economic hardships. Since the beginning, it has been provided directly by UN agencies.”
On another note, economic experts have criticized the politicization of humanitarian aid and stressed that the Islamic Emirate should focus more on making the country self-reliant.
Abdul Nasir Rashtia, an economic expert, stated: “Humanitarian aid can only alleviate extreme poverty, but it cannot eliminate it. Therefore, it is essential that both the international community and the United States continue their humanitarian support for Afghanistan to prevent a humanitarian crisis, while the Islamic Emirate must make serious efforts to create a favorable environment for attracting further investment.”
On January 11 last year, Tim Burchett introduced this bill to Congress, saying that it would require the US Department of State to develop a policy opposing any foreign aid to the Islamic Emirate.