House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul (R., Texas) said House Republicans are prepared to "put a hold on" U.S. tax dollars that are flowing to the Taliban.
"I'm prepared in my position to put a hold on this funding until we get assurances it's not going right into the hands of the Taliban," McCaul said Sunday on Fox News in response to a Washington Free Beacon report that the Biden administration has sent more than $2.35 billion to Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country in 2021.
The payments persist despite warnings from lawmakers and officials that the funds could enter the hands of the terrorist regime.
McCaul on Sunday said, "We need some assurance that this is gonna go to the right hands," and if the Taliban can't provide assurance, "We need to be prepared to cut that funding off."
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has called for similar action, saying that as president she would cut all aid to Afghanistan.
McCaul also said he is "prepared to go forward" in subpoenaing Biden administration officials over the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. servicemen amid the White House's chaotic withdrawal from the country.
"We're prepared to go forward with subpoenas to get to the bottom because these Gold Star families ... deserve the truth as to what happened to make sure this never happens again," McCaul said.
McCaul added that the "story gets worse by the day" and that he will "not rest until we get to the bottom of it."
McCaul's committee has intensified its probes into the administration's handling of the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the Taliban's takeover, the terrorist group seized billions of dollars' worth of U.S. military equipment. The Biden administration has still not properly vetted 88,000 Afghan refugees who fled to the United States after the Taliban took over.
Republicans are pushing legislation to force the State Department to disclose classified information that could show the Biden administration knew in advance the withdrawal would be chaotic.
McCaul said in May after reviewing a classified cable from State Department officials at the time of the withdrawal that the Biden administration did not heed warnings from U.S. officials on the ground.
The Biden administration has declined to take responsibility for the chaotic withdrawal. White House spokesman John Kirby in April placed blame on the Trump administration, saying the Biden administration was not given plans for the withdrawal during its transition into office. Kirby said "not everything" about the withdrawal was "perfect" but that there is a lot to be "proud of."
The father of one of the U.S. service members killed called on Biden earlier this month to "be a grown-ass man" and admit his role in the disaster.