The fate of Biden’s billions of dollars in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan remains unaccounted for

The US government declared $1.1 billion in taxes: Afghanistan is controlled by the Taliban Humanitarian aid since US withdrawal in August 2021 – A major federal watchdog says many US agencies are refusing to explain how the money is being spent.

More than a year after the Taliban took over the country, the US government’s biggest donor to Afghanistan, the Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) says for the first time in history – they have no answer.

In CIGAR Quarterly Report to Congress The inspector general says many government agencies refuse to cooperate, leaving them unable to monitor the spending of more than $1 billion in taxpayer money.

Inspector General John F. Sopko said both the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which controls the majority of US government spending on Afghanistan, and the Treasury Department “refused to cooperate in any capacity”. United Nations Office of the Inspector General (SIGAR).

The inspector general said the State Department was “selective” about the information it provided and failed to provide details about agency-backed programs funded by billions of dollars in taxpayer money.

U.S. Representative Matt Gates of Florida speaks at the Student Action Summit in the United States (Tampa) on July 23, 2022 in Tampa, Florida, USA. (Reuters/Joe Skipper/Reuters Photo)

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FOX Business has exclusively obtained letters from Rep. Matt Gates (R-Florida) to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and USAID Administrator Samantha Power – They are demanding accountability for more than $1.1 billion in taxpayer money funneled into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since the U.S. military withdrew..

Gates wrote in his letters: “I find it shocking and maddening that so many of these illegal money transfers go unaccounted for because your administration has withheld information in violation of federal law.”

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A USAID spokeswoman said they worked with the inspector general and submitted hundreds of pages of documents and dozens of assessments in response to requests for information.

A Treasury spokesperson told FOX Business: “Treasury has complied with all legal requirements and has shared information with SIGAR.”

The White House and State Department did not respond to FOX Commercial before publication. A State Department spokeswoman told Bloomberg that they answered dozens of questions and submitted thousands of pages of documents to the OIG — noting that the inspector general’s order does not cover humanitarian aid — only money spent by the U.S. to rebuild Afghanistan. with the Taliban. handle

Afghan women carry flags of the Islamic Emirate as they participate in the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 31, 2022. (Reuters/Ali Kara/Reuters Photo)

Gates told FOX Business that the SIGAR report was a “serious” indictment of the Biden administration’s lack of transparency compared to previous administrations.

When the OIG released its quarterly report 57 times, they refused to address such an allegation against him. [the] The Trump administration, or the Obama administration, or the Bush administration… The reluctance to engage in transparency is greater among the Biden administration after the Biden administration pushed back the Taliban. $1 billion. “

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Republicans say it would be a big deal if they win control of the House after Tuesday’s midterm elections, giving them the power to subpoena and get answers from administration officials.

“That would be at the top of my list for the Armed Services Committee,” Gates said.