[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 199 (Tuesday, November 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S8289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 4708. Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself and Mr. Grassley) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 4350, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle B of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1216. ESTABLISHMENT OF AFGHAN WORKING GROUP AND AFGHAN
THREAT FINANCE CELL.
(a) Afghan Working Group.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the President shall establish
an interagency organization to be known as the ``Afghan
Working Group''.
(2) Mission.--The mission of the Afghan Working Group shall
be--
(A) to reduce the manufacture, sale, and distribution of
illicit narcotics from Afghanistan;
(B) to identify, disrupt, and eliminate illicit financial
networks in Afghanistan, particularly--
(i) such networks involved in narcotics trafficking,
illicit financial transactions (including through the use of
domestic and international professional money launderers),
and official corruption; and
(ii) terrorist networks; and
(C) to promote the rule of law in Afghanistan.
(3) Membership.--The Afghan Working Group shall be convened
by the Assistant to the President for National Security
Affairs and consist of representatives from the following
agencies:
(A) The Department of the Treasury.
(B) The Department of Justice.
(C) The Drug Enforcement Administration.
(D) The Department of State.
(E) The Department of Defense.
(F) The Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(G) The Internal Revenue Service.
(H) The Department of Homeland Security.
(I) The Defense Intelligence Agency.
(J) The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department
of the Treasury.
(K) The Central Intelligence Agency.
(L) The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the
Department of Treasury.
(M) The Bureau of International Narcotics Control and Law
Enforcement Affairs.
(N) The Office of National Drug Control Policy.
(O) Any other law enforcement agency or element of the
intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) the Assistant
to the President for National Security Affairs considers
appropriate.
(4) Coordination.--The Afghan Working Group shall regularly
coordinate and consult with regional anti-corruption bodies,
financial intelligence units, the international Financial
Action Task Force, and the Special Inspector General for
Afghanistan Reconstruction.
(5) Briefings.--
(A) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Afghan Working Group shall provide to the appropriate
committees of Congress a briefing on the activities of the
Afghan Working Group.
(B) Elements.--Each briefing under subparagraph (A) shall
include the following:
(i) An assessment of the activities undertaken by, and the
effectiveness of, the Afghan Working Group with respect to--
(I) reducing the manufacture, sale, and distribution of
illicit narcotics from Afghanistan;
(II) identifying, disrupting, and eliminating illicit
financial networks in Afghanistan, particularly--
(aa) such networks involved in narcotics trafficking,
illicit financial transactions (including through the use of
domestic and international professional money launderers),
and official corruption; and
(bb) terrorist networks; and
(III) promoting the rule of law in Afghanistan.
(ii) Recommendations to Congress on legislative or
regulatory improvements necessary to support the efforts
described in subclauses (I) through (III) of clause (i).
(C) Form.--A briefing under subparagraph (A) may be
provided in classified form.
(b) Afghan Threat Finance Cell.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date
on which the Afghan Working Group is established, the Afghan
Working Group shall establish an interagency organization to
be known as the ``Afghan Threat Finance Cell''.
(2) Mission.--The mission of the Afghan Threat Finance Cell
shall be to identify, disrupt, and eliminate illicit
financial networks in Afghanistan, particularly--
(A) such networks involved in narcotics trafficking,
illicit financial transactions (including through the use of
domestic and international professional money launderers),
and official corruption; and
(B) terrorist networks.
(3) Lead agencies.--The Department of the Treasury shall
serve as the lead agency of the Afghan Threat Finance Cell,
and the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of
Defense shall serve as the co-deputy lead agencies of the
Afghan Threat Finance Cell.
(4) Coordination.--The Afghan Threat Finance Cell shall
regularly coordinate and consult with regional financial
intelligence units, the international Financial Action Task
Force, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction.
(5) Briefings.--
(A) Requirement.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Afghan Threat Finance Cell shall provide to the appropriate
committees of Congress a briefing on the activities of the
Afghan Threat Finance Cell.
(B) Elements.--Each briefing under subparagraph (A) shall
include the following:
(i) An assessment of the activities undertaken by, and the
effectiveness of, the Afghan Threat Finance Cell in
identifying, disrupting, and eliminating illicit financial
networks in Afghanistan, particularly--
(I) such networks involved in narcotics trafficking,
illicit financial transactions, (including through the use of
domestic and international professional money launderers),
and official corruption; and
(II) terrorist networks.
(ii) Recommendations to Congress on legislative or
regulatory improvements necessary to support the
identification, disruption, and elimination of illicit
financial networks in Afghanistan.
(C) Form.--A briefing under subparagraph (A) may be
provided in classified form.
(c) Termination.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Afghan
Working Group and the Afghan Threat Finance Cell shall
terminate on the date that is three years after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(2) Extension.--The President may extend the termination
date under paragraph (1) for the Afghan Working Group, the
Afghan Threat Finance Cell, or both, as necessary.
(d) Appropriate Committees of Congress.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(1) The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs,
the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs,
the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on Armed
Services of the Senate, and the Senate Caucus on
International Narcotics Control; and
(2) The Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on
Oversight and Reform, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
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