The US government has given $1.1 billion in tax dollars to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in humanitarian aid since the US withdrawal in August 2021 — and a top federal watchdog says several US agencies are refusing to explain how the money was spent . The US government remains Afghanistan’s largest donor more than a year after the Taliban took over the country, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) says for the first time in history — they don’t have the answers. Members of the Taliban lead a convoy to mark the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan along a road in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 31, 2022. (Reuters/Ali Khara/File Photo) In SIGAR’s quarterly report to Congress, the Inspector General explains that he is unable to track how more than $1 billion of taxpayer dollars was spent because many government agencies refuse to cooperate. Inspector General John F. Sopko says, “SIGAR, for the first time in its history, is unable this quarter to provide Congress and the American people with a full accounting of these U.S. government expenditures due to the non-cooperation of many government services of the United States.” Sopko adds that both the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which manages the majority of US government spending on Afghanistan, and the Treasury Department “refused to work with SIGAR in any capacity.” The Inspector General says the State Department was “selective” about the information it provided and failed to provide details about the programs supported by the agencies that funded the billions of dollars in taxpayer money. U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida speaks at the Student Action Summit (SAS) USA (TPUSA) in Tampa, Florida, U.S., July 23, 2022. (Reuters/Joe Skipper / Reuters Photos) AFGHANS SETTLING IN US STRUGGLE TO FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOX Business has exclusively obtained letters from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. AID Administrator Samantha Power — demanding accountability for more than $1.1 billion in money of taxpayers’ money funneled to the Taliban- has controlled Afghanistan since the withdrawal of the US military. Gaetz wrote in his letters: “I found it even more shocking and insane that many of these illegal fund transfers are being ignored because your Department withheld information in violation of federal law.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP A USAID spokesman says they are cooperating with the inspector general and have provided hundreds of pages of documents and dozens of assessments responding to requests for information. A spokesperson for the Treasury Department tells FOX Business, “The Treasury Department has complied with all legal requirements and has shared information with SIGAR.” The White House and State Department did not respond to FOX Business prior to publication. A State Department spokesman told Bloomberg that they have answered dozens of questions and provided thousands of pages of documents to SIGAR — and points out that the inspector general’s order does not cover humanitarian aid — only the funds spent on rebuilding Afghanistan that the U.S. ended with the Taliban takeover. Afghan girls hold flags of the Islamic Emirate while taking part in the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 31, 2022. (Reuters/Ali Khara / Reuters Photos) Gaetz told FOX Business that SIGAR’s bombshell report is a “bad” indictment of the Biden administration’s lack of transparency compared to previous administrations. “57 times when SIGAR issued its quarterly report, they declined to make this type of indictment against [the] The Trump administration, the Obama administration or the Bush administration… the reluctance to engage in transparency is the greatest with the Biden administration since the Biden administration left the Taliban military and now insists on uncontrolled aid transfers that have already exceeded one billion dollars. “ CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS Republicans say that will be a top issue if they take control of the House after Tuesday’s midterm elections and have subpoena power. employees and get answers. “This is going to be near the top of my list on the Armed Services Committee,” Gaetz said.
