Republicans are ramping up pressure on the Biden administration to declare the Taliban a terrorist organization.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is introducing a bill Wednesday demanding Congress and the Biden administration designate the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization and the Afghanistan government they run as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The legislation would ban federal agencies from taking any action that implies recognition of the Taliban's claim of sovereignty over Afghanistan, among other priorities.
The Sunshine State Republican is also proposing that the State Department provide an annual report on which countries have 'diplomatic relations' with the Taliban, and whether any entity 'knowingly' provides assistance to them.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is introducing a bill Wednesday demanding Congress and the Biden administration designate the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization
The Taliban completed their takeover of Afghanistan last month, ahead of the US withdrawal
Armed Taliban fighters escort veiled women marching during a pro-Taliban rally outside Shaheed Rabbani Education University in Kabul on September 11
The State Department does not label the Afghan Taliban as a Foreign Terrorist Organization but does sanction the group as 'Specially Designated Global Terrorists,' which freezes their assets and bars Americans from working with them.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., introduced a resolution on Tuesday calling on the State Department to designate the Taliban as terrorists and calling to freeze all assets of the Afghan government in the US and work to make sure other countries do the same.
The resolution also calls on the department to declare the Taliban takeover a 'coup d’etat' and to use its 'authority and influence' over international institutions to pressure them to deny funds to the Taliban.
'The Biden Administration has misled the American public by attempting to normalize the
