Trump administration had sent $45 million in aid to Afghanistan on Monday, a practice they had spent the previous three years describing as treasonous when Joe Biden did it.
Representative Tim Burchett posted on X in response to the reporting. "Every week," Burchett said. "Pass my Bill Senate!" The Tennessee Republican has been a vocal opponent of sending aid to Afghanistan since 2021, introducing legislation to stop the practice and delivering passionate speeches about how American tax dollars should not fund terrorists.
The aid in question is part of congressionally approved humanitarian assistance for Afghan civilians, routed through international organizations and NGOs—the exact same mechanism Republicans condemned as "funding the Taliban" during the Biden administration. The Biden administration had set up funding meant to be used as aid for Afghans remaining in the country, and the Trump administration has apparently decided to continue the program without modification.
Conservative commentator Ann Vandersteel called the cash payment evidence that America had been "deceived," seemingly unaware that she and her fellow conservatives had spent years demanding Trump fix this very issue, only to watch him maintain it exactly as configured.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has noted that some aid funds may reach the Taliban through taxes and the Taliban-controlled central bank. This arrangement has not changed between administrations, though Republicans seemed to believe it would spontaneously resolve itself when their preferred candidate took office.
Burchett continues to urge passage of his "No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act," which would require the State Department to stop aid from reaching the Taliban. The bill was introduced while Republicans controlled the House but has not been prioritized by the Trump administration now implementing the policy Burchett seeks to prohibit.
Veteran and podcaster Robert J. O'Neil asked "Why THE F*** did we give the Taliban $45 million in cash today?" apparently forgetting that he asked this same question repeatedly between 2021 and 2024, when the answer was "because of international humanitarian obligations and congressionally mandated aid."
