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senate Bill S. 1875

Increasing Oversight of Aid Sent to Afghanistan

Argument in favor

America needs to continue to assist the Afghan government and its security forces as they move toward a stable future. That said, the assistance shouldn’t be a blank check. There must be accountability for the aid the U.S. sends.

Alis's Opinion
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08/28/2015
Good grief! This is an actual issue? How much tax money do we have to waste before someone says, let's see if this is working & when do we stop pouring money into the Afghani black market instead of meeting the needs of US citizens? Of course, this needs to be done. Only an idiot would raise the question at all!
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Crystal's Opinion
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10/01/2015
We need to finish what we started. But with serious accountability.
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GrumpyMSgt's Opinion
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08/28/2015
Yes! We have been pouring money down this rathole long enough. Tighter controls are needed to stop the enormous amount of graft. This makes the Clinton Foundation look like amerteurs.
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Argument opposed

There should be a deadline for U.S. assistance to Afghanistan. America has plenty of issues domestically that require funding and additional oversight, and the sooner those dollars going to Afghanistan return home, the better.

Elliott's Opinion
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11/21/2015
Part of the reason why America is so great is because of all of the struggles we have been through. If we don't let other countries develop on their own terms, we are only hurting there development and identity.
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Edward's Opinion
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09/07/2015
There is a need to increase accountability here.
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Richard's Opinion
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11/18/2015
There is so much graft and corruption in that country that we need to cut our losses and get the hell out of there. They will suck us dry if we let them.
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What is Senate Bill S. 1875?

This bill seeks to improve oversight of U.S. assistance to Afghanistan while strengthening the Afghan government and combatting corruption. It also aims to address security challenges facing the Afghan government in the wake of U.S. and coalition military personnel withdrawing from the country.

This bill authorizes funding to support anti-corruption programs and audits within the Afghan government. Funding would also go to the Afghan National Security Forces, the country’s police force, and watchdog groups that monitor human rights and civil society in Afghanistan.

Annual reports would be given to Congress and relevant agencies on potential cases of corruption by officials in the Afghan government (or their relatives). The Government Accountability Office (GAO) would report on the U.S. military’s long-term programs to improve coordination between U.S. development agencies, the military, and the Commander’s Emergency Response Program.

The Secretary of State would be asked to develop a multi-year strategy to promote accountability in Afghanistan between federal agencies and the Afghan government.

Impact

People in Afghanistan, people in the U.S. with ties to Afghanistan, U.S. agencies undertaking development programs in Afghanistan, the U.S. military, the GAO, the Secretary of State, and U.S./Afghanistan diplomatic relations.

Cost of Senate Bill S. 1875

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

More Information

Of Note: In October 2015, President Obama announced that the U.S. will halt its removal of military troops from Afghanistan. Currently, the 9,800 troops that are already in Afghanistan will stay there for most of 2016. After that, the military presence will drop to 5,500, and stay though early 2017. 

The U.S. and its coalition of NATO allies completed a withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan in December 2014, turning over combat duties to Afghan security forces. However, this has led to a resurgence in Taliban activity, leaving the Afghan military and police hard-pressed to keep them in check. Obama noted during his announcement: 

“While America’s combat mission in Afghanistan may be over, our commitment to Afghanistan and its people endures. I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again.”

Freedom House and Human Rights Watch have noted that the Afghan government has struggled to uphold human rights amidst ongoing corruption by government officials. The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction recommended that attaching requirements to assistance would help to counteract corruption.


In-Depth: The lead sponsor of this legislation, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), believes his bill is a solid investment in the long-term stability of Afghanistan: 
“This bill ensures the United States will take additional steps to bolster the capacity of Afghan institutions so that they can be more accountable and responsive to the country’s citizens and international donors. ... We must provide the right tools to the Afghan government to make sure our investments are used wisely going forward.”
This bill was passed unanimously by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and has the bipartisan support of two Republican cosponsors and one Democrat. Many of the proposals in this bill were included as suggestions in a report compiled by the Foreign Relations Committee’s Democratic staff that was published in 2014.

Media:

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user DVDSHUB)

AKA

Afghanistan Accountability Act of 2015

Official Title

A bill to support enhanced accountability for United States assistance to Afghanistan, and for other purposes.

bill Progress

  • Not enacted
    The President has not signed this bill
  • The house has not voted
      house Committees
      Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • The senate Passed April 28th, 2016
    Passed by Voice Vote
      senate Committees
      Committee on Foreign Relations
    IntroducedJuly 28th, 2015
Log in or create an account to see how your Reps voted!
    Alis's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    08/28/2015
    Good grief! This is an actual issue? How much tax money do we have to waste before someone says, let's see if this is working & when do we stop pouring money into the Afghani black market instead of meeting the needs of US citizens? Of course, this needs to be done. Only an idiot would raise the question at all!
    Like (7)
    Follow
    Share
    Crystal's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    10/01/2015
    We need to finish what we started. But with serious accountability.
    Like (3)
    Follow
    Share
    GrumpyMSgt's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    08/28/2015
    Yes! We have been pouring money down this rathole long enough. Tighter controls are needed to stop the enormous amount of graft. This makes the Clinton Foundation look like amerteurs.
    Like (3)
    Follow
    Share
    Moni's Opinion In Favor
    ···
    02/08/2016
    They need the aid but partially due to lack of oversight the money has been wasted.
    Like (2)
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    Mark's Opinion In Favor
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    09/18/2015
    ALL aid should be accounted for, to them or any country. It's our tax dollars.
    Like (2)
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    Elliott's Opinion Against
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    11/21/2015
    Part of the reason why America is so great is because of all of the struggles we have been through. If we don't let other countries develop on their own terms, we are only hurting there development and identity.
    Like (2)
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    David's Opinion In Favor
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    09/29/2015
    If we must give, we must increase accountability. We also should not give ANY money to any state that does not back us in the UN.
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    Randall's Opinion In Favor
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    09/18/2015
    We spend a great deal of money in aid to Afghanistan, we should have a reasonably accurate accounting of where it goes.
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    Kevin's Opinion In Favor
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    12/31/2015
    SIGAR has found evidence of corruption since their inception and our tax dollars have been wasted. We must show our Afghan partners that we our serious about accounting for every dollar.
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    Richard's Opinion Against
    ···
    11/18/2015
    There is so much graft and corruption in that country that we need to cut our losses and get the hell out of there. They will suck us dry if we let them.
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    John's Opinion In Favor
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    09/22/2015
    Increased accountability, yes, and an eventual end to money sent to Afganistan.
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    TDJCatholicBlogger's Opinion In Favor
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    09/04/2015
    Accountability is always good, specially when it comes to the Afghans and their endemic public corruption. We need to ensure that the money goes to the right recipients and that it is spent on the right things.
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    Edward's Opinion Against
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    09/07/2015
    There is a need to increase accountability here.
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    Patrick's Opinion In Favor
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    10/17/2015
    Give their government an incentive to do their part to make reform. Give them the aide back in part as the reforms in the country start to show positive results.
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    Gloria's Opinion In Favor
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    09/25/2015
    How about some form of payment in return. Why do we do all this for free!!
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    Dave1's Opinion In Favor
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    10/16/2015
    It's the only place we have a foothold in the Middle East now. You better keep it
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    Nezir's Opinion In Favor
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    03/30/2016
    This would help the Government of Afghanistan be more powerful than the Taliban, making them a stable source for the people of Afghan to rely on. It will also prevent the Taliban from taking over the country
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    Leo's Opinion In Favor
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    10/16/2015
    We should increase oversight for the uses of all foreign aid.
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    Scott's Opinion In Favor
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    10/16/2015
    Keeping and improving Afghanistan's stability will make it easier to neutralize any forthcoming threat in the Middle East. Not only will this benefit the Afghanistan people but this will also benefit Americans by giving the military existing points to launch future strikes from to hopefully prevent another attack in the United States.
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    Ian's Opinion In Favor
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    02/19/2016
    Corruption, Corruption, Corruption! We need to insure our tax dollars are not ending up in corrupt Afghan bank account's.
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