[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6586 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6586

   To require a strategy to oppose financial or material support by 
       foreign countries to the Taliban, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 5, 2023

 Mr. Burchett introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require a strategy to oppose financial or material support by 
       foreign countries to the Taliban, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. STRATEGY TO OPPOSE FINANCIAL OR MATERIAL SUPPORT BY FOREIGN 
              COUNTRIES TO THE TALIBAN.

    (a) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to oppose the provision of financial or material 
        support by foreign countries to the Taliban, particularly those 
        countries that receive United States-provided foreign 
        assistance; and
            (2) to review United States-provided financial assistance 
        to such foreign countries that have provided financial or 
        material support to the Taliban.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report identifying--
            (1) foreign countries that have provided financial or 
        material support to the Taliban, including--
                    (A) the amount of United States-provided foreign 
                assistance each country receives, if any;
                    (B) the amount of financial or material support 
                each country has provided to the Taliban; and
                    (C) a description of how the Taliban has utilized 
                such financial or material support; and
            (2) efforts the United States has taken since August 2021 
        to oppose foreign countries from providing financial or 
        material support to the Taliban, particularly those foreign 
        countries that receive United States-provided foreign 
        assistance.
    (c) Strategy and Reports.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall develop 
        a strategy to discourage foreign countries from providing 
        financial or material support to the Taliban, including by 
        using United States-provided foreign assistance to discourage 
        countries from providing such support to the Taliban.
            (2) Reports.--
                    (A) Initial report.--Not later than the date on 
                which the strategy required by paragraph (1) is 
                completed, the Secretary of State shall submit to the 
                appropriate congressional committees a report detailing 
                the strategy and a plan for its implementation.
                    (B) Subsequent reports.--Not later than 180 days 
                after the date on which the strategy required by 
                paragraph (1) is completed, and every 180 days 
                thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the 
                appropriate congressional committees a report on the 
                implementation of the strategy, including the impact of 
                the strategy in discouraging foreign countries from 
                providing financial or material support to the Taliban.

SEC. 2. REPORT ON DIRECT CASH ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN AFGHANISTAN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report on United States Government-funded direct cash assistance 
programs in Afghanistan during the period beginning on August 1, 2021, 
and ending on the date that is 30 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required by subsection (a) 
shall, with respect to such direct cash assistance programs, include--
            (1) an identification of implementing partners and 
        recipients;
            (2) a description of method of payments;
            (3) a description of how and where currency exchanges 
        occur;
            (4) a description of how hawalas are used and the oversight 
        mechanism in place regarding use of hawalas to transfer funds; 
        and
            (5) a description of how oversight is conducted, including 
        information on how the Department of State prevents the Taliban 
        from accessing cash assistance under such programs.
    (c) Hawala Defined.--In this section, the term ``hawala''' means a 
system of transferring money through a network of money lending 
brokers.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON STATUS OF AFGHAN FUND.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of 
State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development and the Secretary of the Treasury, 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on 
the status of the Afghan Fund.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required by subsection (a) 
shall include--
            (1) a list of Taliban members working at Da Afghanistan 
        Bank or serving on the Bank's board; and
            (2) a description of--
                    (A) the Taliban's influence over Da Afghanistan 
                Bank;
                    (B) the Afghan Fund's board of trustees, including 
                how the Fund's trustees were vetted and selected, and 
                what United States agencies were involved in the 
                vetting and selection process;
                    (C) the conditions necessary for funds in the 
                Afghan Fund to be released to Da Afghanistan Bank;
                    (D) how the Afghan Fund's board of trustees will 
                decide on the type and appropriateness of the Fund's 
                activities, including what kind of information will 
                inform the board's decisions and how the board will 
                collect and verify this information; and
                    (E) a description of what controls have been put 
                into place to ensure funds are not diverted to or 
                misused by the Taliban or other actors when the Fund 
                begins making disbursements.

SEC. 4. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate.
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