Attachments
WHAT THE UNITED STATES IS DOING IN AFGHANISTAN
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order titled “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,” that pauses new obligations and disbursements of U.S. foreign aid for 90 days. In response to the executive order, the Department of State paused new funding obligations; made directives to issue stop-work orders on existing foreign assistance awards; and suspended the review process for new awards pending a review of foreign assistance programs funded by or through the Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Since U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, the United States has been the largest donor to the Afghan people. The United States has appropriated or otherwise made available more than $21.36 billion in assistance to Afghanistan and to Afghan refugees, as shown in Table I.1.
This includes more than $3.63 billion in U.S. appropriations for Afghanistan assistance, largely for humanitarian and development aid, and $3.50 billion transferred to the Afghan Fund that is intended to protect macro financial stability on behalf of the Afghan people that could, in the long-term, include recapitalizing Afghanistan’s central bank should the conditions materialize.
In addition, nearly $8.70 billion in funds were made available in support of Afghan evacuees resettling in the United States through the Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) program. The Department of Defense (DOD) obligated nearly $5.36 billion in Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) appropriations and other funds; the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) obligated nearly $3.00 billion in appropriated funds; and the Department of Homeland Security obligated nearly $287.51 million of appropriated funds in support of OAW.
The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, mandated the creation of a new Department of State (State) appropriations account, Enduring Welcome—the whole-of-government successor program to OAW.8 DOD transferred $3.00 billion in OHDACA funds in FY 2023 to State for Enduring Welcome. State has employed this funding and other appropriations, totaling more than $5.53 billion, for ongoing Enduring Welcome programming.
The United States continued to respond to humanitarian crises in Afghanistan as they evolved. Since 2021, State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have used pre- and post-withdrawal appropriated funds to restart and begin new programs to address critical needs of the Afghan people in several key sectors—health, education, agriculture, and food security—and also supported civil society and media, focusing on women, girls, and broad human rights protections. These efforts are being implemented through nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, and other partners.
As shown in Table I.2, some $2.63 billion of the more than $3.63 billion appropriated for assistance to Afghanistan since the end of FY 2021 has gone toward humanitarian assistance, representing 72% of the total. Nearly $557.76 million, or 15% of the total, went for development assistance.