Blinken pressed to disclose money to foreign adversaries after $239 million sent to Taliban

The State Department may be required to track and disclose publicly all money given to foreign adversaries under a new bill being introduced by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) seeking to prevent U.S. tax dollars from going toward terrorist activity. 

Ernst filed an amendment to her Tracking Receipts to Adversarial Countries for Knowledge of Spending Act, which she introduced earlier this year, that would “require every penny” the United States gives to foreign adversaries to be tracked and disclosed. That’s a change from the bill’s original language, which only applied to China and Russia. 

The amendment comes in response to a report that the U.S. has inadvertently sent $239 million to the Taliban over the last three years due to a failure by the State Department to vet award recipients, according to the Leading Report. The money was sent after the Taliban reportedly established fake nonprofit groups to siphon millions of dollars of U.S. aid that was meant to be sent to Afghanistan, according to an investigation by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. 

Because of that, the Taliban have received hundreds of millions of dollars due to incomplete vetting by the State Department, according to the investigation. 

“We knew Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had a spend first, ask questions later approach, but to see $293 million sent to the Taliban is completely inexcusable,” Ernst told the Washington Examiner. “This administration needs to get back our money, as I fight to ensure they cannot lose track of taxpayers’ hard-earned money ever again.

“If the IRS can track a $600 Venmo for someone in Iowa, then they can certainly make sure our country is not cutting checks to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations,” Ernst added, referring to a future rule by the IRS that would require some online app payments to be reported to the department. 

However, that rule only applies to payments that are considered income, such as money for services or products. If a payment over $600 is not considered income, such as reimbursements or gifts, users can request a correction. 

It’s not clear when Ernst’s amendment or complete bill may be brought up for consideration because the Senate is adjourned for its annual August recess and is not slated to return until Sept. 9. 

Ernst also wrote a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the State Department to “take immediate action to rectify these issues.” It’s not clear what that action may entail.

The State Department refuted claims that the U.S. has provided financial assistance to the Taliban, calling allegations that those funds came from department funding inaccurate. Additionally, a spokesperson for the department told the Washington Examiner that “the majority” of the State Department’s Afghanistan-related awards “fully comply” with vetting requirements.

The Washington Examiner also contacted the White House for comment.