Crapo Joins Comprehensive Afghanistan Legislation

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and 21 additional colleagues in introducing the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act to address outstanding issues related to the Biden Administration’s rushed and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

“The haphazard withdrawal from Afghanistan, based on an arbitrary timeline, was a failure of presidential leadership,” said Senator Crapo.  “I remain concerned about the unknown and dangerous future for Americans and Afghan allies who still remain in the country.  The Taliban cannot be trusted and their terrorist activities pose a continued threat across the globe.  Congress must continue to exercise oversight on the repercussions of this hasty withdrawal.” 

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. 

Additional co-sponsors include Senators Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Todd Young (R-Indiana), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). 

Text of the legislation can be found here. 

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