USAID announces $308M to Afghanistan in aid

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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced Tuesday a contribution of more than $308 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan to help with food, shelter and health care.

The latest round of assistance brings the U.S. total amount of humanitarian aid for Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees to nearly $782 million since October 2021, according to the Biden administration. 

Internally displaced Afghans from northern provinces, who fled their home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, take refuge in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

"The United States is committed to supporting the Afghan people and we continue to consider all options available to us," White House National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement. "We stand with the people of Afghanistan."

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The new actions come as Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is grappling with an extreme humanitarian crisis, with more than half the population facing severe hunger as winter grips the war-devastated country. The crisis comes five months after the final U.S. troops departed Afghanistan, with the pullout causing some experts to worry about a humanitarian "catastrophe" that could play out without the help of American forces.

U.S soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani)

The new round of assistance follows authorization by the Biden administration in December to work with the Taliban to facilitate humanitarian aid. The administration authorized certain financial transactions with the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, who have been largely shut out of the international financial system by American sanctions aimed at stopping terrorism and human rights abuses.

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While the Treasury Department's new general licenses put certain conditions in place on transactions with the Taliban, critics warned that it could serve to legitimize and assist Taliban rule. 

On Tuesday there was concern on Capitol Hill the $308 million could get into the wrong hands. 

"While Afghanistan is in dire need of humanitarian assistance, a real challenge will be keeping this money out of the hands of the Taliban," one senior Capitol Hill aide told Fox News. "There have been reports of the Taliban harassing some NGOs and it’s possible they could levy taxes or fees on aid workers."

The aide added: "No taxpayer money should be going to the Taliban and the Administration needs to make sure it can monitor this assistance ... The Taliban should have no role in determining who receives it."

The Biden administration said Tuesday the aid will provide care for the most vulnerable, including women, girls, minority populations and people with disabilities. The U.S. is also supplying 1 million additional COVID-19 vaccine doses through COVAX, bringing the U.S. total to 4.3 million doses.

Taliban soldiers stand guard in Panjshir province northeastern of Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021.  (AP Photo/Mohammad Asif Khan)

Horne said the assistance will "directly flow through independent humanitarian organizations" and will address the "growing humanitarian needs exacerbated by COVID-19 and healthcare shortages, drought, malnutrition, and the winter season."

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USAID says the assistance includes food, support for health care facilities and mobile health teams; winterization programs — including emergency cash grants, shelter kits, heaters, blankets and warm clothing —  and logistics and transportation support to get supplies to the hardest-to-reach areas. 

Fox News' Pat Ward and Michael Lee contributed to this report.