U.S. Representative Tim Burchett’s (R-TN-02) “No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act” passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a voice vote on Monday.
The bill, filed as H.R. 260, works on multiple fronts to ensure that U.S. financial aid does not inadvertently benefit the Taliban or its affiliates, including establishing a formal U.S. policy to oppose support for such groups, especially from entities that also receive U.S. foreign aid.
Thank you America! WE passed OUR Defund the Taliban bill on a voice vote! Thank you @ShawnRyan762 @realLegendAfg pic.twitter.com/ADFGgF2np2
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) June 23, 2025
The State Department is mandated under the bill to report to Congress which countries or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have supported the Taliban and which, if any, actions the U.S. has taken since August 2021 to discourage such assistance to the Taliban.
The bill also requires the State Department to develop and implement a formal strategy to dissuade foreign countries and NGOs from providing aid to the Taliban, which must include plans to support Afghan women and girls who are suffering under Taliban rule, as well as efforts to relocate eligible, fully vetted Afghan allies to safe locations.
Also required under the bill is a report from the State Department on direct cash assistance programs funded by the U.S. government in Afghanistan since August 2021, as well as any measures in place to prevent the Taliban from accessing those funds.
Finally, the bill addresses the status and operation of the Afghan Fund by requiring regular reports on Taliban involvement in the Afghanistan Bank, the selection process for the Afghan Fund’s board of trustees, and safeguards to prevent misuse of funds.
Burchett said since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan under the Biden administration, NGOs have been directly and indirectly funding the Taliban’s regime through financial and material support.
“The United States has sent over $5 billion in cash to Kabul. It is the duty of the State Department to ensure that any aid from the United States is kept out of the hands of terrorists in Afghanistan. The terrorists can hate us for free,” the Tennessee congressman said.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL-21) said Burchett’s bill has been a “key focus” for House Republicans since last Congress, when lawmakers were made aware that weekly cash shipments of nearly $40 million were being sent to Afghanistan’s central bank.
“This bill makes sure not a single penny of American taxpayer money ends up in the hands of the Taliban—not directly, not through back doors, and not via weak-willed foreign governments or shady NGOs,” Mast said on Monday.
“If you’re funding the Taliban, you’re no friend of the United States,” Mast added.
Burchett’s bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it is carried by U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT).
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
