Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
September 27, 2021 | Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) joined 21 of his colleagues in introducing the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act, legislation to address the outstanding issues related to the administration’s rushed and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Joining Portman as original cosponsors are Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Jim Risch (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Thune (R-SD), Rick Scott (R-FL), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), John Boozman (R-AR), John Hoeven (R-ND), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Roger Marshall (R-KS).
“This is an important measure that will increase oversight and accountability over the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Said Portman. “I remain concerned over the increasing threats to the homeland now that Afghanistan can once again be used as a launching ground for international terrorism. This bill begins to chart a better path forward on a new counterterrorism strategy while ensuring that we learn from the mistakes from our withdrawal from Afghanistan so something like that never happens again.”
This legislation:
- Establishes a State Department task force to focus on the evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents, and Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) who are still stuck in Afghanistan.
- Imposes oversight mechanisms on the processing of SIVs and refugees.
- Requires strategies for counterterrorism and for the disposition of Taliban-captured U.S. equipment.
- Sanctions the Taliban and others in Afghanistan for terrorism, drug-trafficking, and human rights abuses.
- Authorizes sanctions on those providing support to the Taliban, including foreign governments supporting the Taliban.
- States that the United States should not recognize any member of the Taliban as the ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States or as the ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Nations.
- Calls for a comprehensive review of foreign assistance to entities that support the Taliban.
- Places restrictions on non-humanitarian foreign assistance to Afghanistan.
Text of the legislation can be found here.
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