Republicans write to SIGAR seeking information about US withdrawal

KABUL (Pajhwok): Two Republican lawmakers have sent a letter to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to provide documents and information about US forces’ chaotic withdrawal.

James Comer, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, and Glen Grothman sent the letter to the official watchdog overseeing Afghanistan reconstruction requesting documents and information.

That comes after John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), issued a report saying several federal agencies including the State Department, USAID, and the Treasury Department aren’t fully cooperating with his information requests.

Sopko and the Biden administration fundamentally disagree about his oversight jurisdiction. Republicans are suggesting they believe the law is on Sopko’s side and that they want to give him a platform.

“Our position is that except for certain specific funds, SIGAR’s statutory mandate is limited to funds available “for the reconstruction of Afghanistan,” a State Department spokesperson told Axios.

“Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the United States has stopped providing assistance for the purpose of the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and now focuses on alleviating the immediate humanitarian situation in the country.”

The State Department and USAID continue to cooperate with oversight bodies—including Congressional committees and both agencies’ Inspectors General, in addition to SIGAR, the spokesperson said.

However, a week ago, Sopko said the Biden administration has stonewalled inquiries about $1.1 billion in humanitarian aid spent “to support the Afghan people since the Taliban’s takeover.”

He said in a report that his office “for the first time in its history is unable this quarter to provide Congress and the American people with a full accounting of this US government spending due to the noncooperation of several US government agencies.”

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