Joyce amendment for U.S. plan to fight Taliban’s drug trade included in NDAA

An amendment from U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) that would require a federal plan be devised to combat the Taliban’s illegal drug trade was included in the national defense bill that recently won approval by the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“Any funding stream that supports the Taliban poses a significant threat to the United States,” said Rep. Joyce. “In light of the Taliban’s rapid recapture of Afghanistan, the world’s largest producer of opium, we must act immediately to combat the Taliban’s illegal drug trade and fully comprehend risks posed by the profits of such drugs.”

The amendment, which Rep. Joyce proposed on Sept. 17 for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, H.R. 4350, would require the U.S. Defense Secretary, in coordination with the U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, to submit a report to Congress that includes a plan to combat the Taliban’s drug trade, according to the text of the amendment.

Additionally, the report would have to include descriptions of the risk to the United States of drugs emanating from such drug trade, including risks posed by the profits of such drugs, and any actions taken to interdict and prevent such drugs from reaching the U.S., the text says.

“The Taliban has consistently harmed Americans and undermined American interests,” Rep. Joyce said. “Now they have a greater capacity to do so with billions of dollars-worth of captured U.S. military equipment and a steady stream of income from their illicit opium trade.” 

The NDAA, which received approval on Sept. 23 from the U.S. House, has been sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration.