I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7343 
To limit the use of funds to reduce the number of Armed Forces deployed 
to Afghanistan, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 25, 2020 
Mr. CROW (for himself, Ms. CHENEY, Mr. WALTZ, and Mrs. DAVIS of Cali-
fornia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To limit the use of funds to reduce the number of Armed 
Forces deployed to Afghanistan, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Afghanistan Partner-
ship and Transparency Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS TO REDUCE DE-
PLOYMENT TO AFGHANISTAN. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) it is in the national security interests of the 
United States to deny terrorists safe haven in Af-
ghanistan, protect the United States homeland, up-
hold the United States partnership with the Govern-
ment of Afghanistan and cooperation with the Af-
ghan National Defense and Security Forces, and 
protect the hard-fought rights of women, girls, and 
other vulnerable populations in Afghanistan; 
(2) a rapid military drawdown and a lack of 
United States commitment to the security and sta-
bility of Afghanistan would undermine diplomatic ef-
forts for peace; 
(3) the current agreement between the United 
States and the Taliban does not provide for the ap-
propriate protections for vulnerable populations, 
does not create conditions for the rejection of vio-
lence and prevention of terrorist safe havens, and 
does not represent a realistic diplomatic solution, 
based on verifiable facts and conditions on the 
ground, that provides for long-term stability; and 
(4) the Administration has a constitutional obli-
gation to provide Congress with timely and com-
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prehensive information on the status of security op-
erations and diplomatic efforts in a form that can be 
transparently communicated to the American people. 
(b) LIMITATION.—Until the date on which the Sec-
retary of Defense, in concurrence with each covered offi-
cial, submits the report described in subsection (c) to the 
appropriate congressional committees, none of the 
amounts authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 
2020 or 2021 for the Department of Defense may be obli-
gated or expended for any activity having either of the 
following effects: 
(1) Reducing the total number of Armed Forces 
deployed to Afghanistan below the lesser of— 
(A) 8,000, or 
(B) the total number of the Armed Forces 
deployed as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(2) Reducing the total number of Armed Forces 
deployed to Afghanistan below 5,000. 
(c) REPORT.—The report described in this subsection 
shall include each of the following: 
(1) A certification that the intended withdrawal 
of the United States Armed Forces in Afghani-
stan— 
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(A) will not compromise or otherwise nega-
tively affect the ongoing United States counter-
terrorism mission against the Islamic State, al- 
Qaeda, and associated forces; 
(B) will not unduly increase the risk to 
United States personnel in Afghanistan; 
(C) will not increase the risk for the ex-
pansion of existing or formation of new ter-
rorist safe havens inside Afghanistan; 
(D) will be undertaken with the consulta-
tion and coordination of allies supporting the 
United States- and North Atlantic Treaty Or-
ganization-led missions; and 
(E) is in the best interest of United States 
national security and in furtherance of United 
States policy toward Afghanistan for achieving 
an enduring diplomatic solution. 
(2) An analysis of the impact that the intended 
withdrawal of United States Armed Forces from Af-
ghanistan would have on each of the following: 
(A) The threat posed by the Taliban and 
terrorist organizations, including by each cov-
ered terrorist organization, to— 
(i) the United States homeland; 
(ii) United States interests abroad; 
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(iii) allied countries of the North At-
lantic Treaty Organization; 
(iv) the Government of Afghanistan; 
and 
(v) regional peace and security. 
(B) The status of the human and civil 
rights (including access to voting, education, 
justice, and economic opportunities) of women, 
girls, people with disabilities, religious and eth-
nic minorities, and other vulnerable populations 
in Afghanistan. 
(C) Transparent, credible, and inclusive 
political processes in Afghanistan. 
(D) The capacity of the Afghan National 
Defense and Security Forces to effectively— 
(i) prevent or defend against attacks 
by the Taliban or by terrorist organiza-
tions (including by each covered terrorist 
organization) on civilian populations; 
(ii) prevent the takeover of one or 
more provincial capitals by the Taliban or 
by associated organizations; 
(iii) conduct counterterrorism oper-
ations necessary to deny safe harbor to ter-
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rorist organizations, including each covered 
terrorist organization; and 
(iv) maintain institutional order and 
discipline. 
(E) The influence of malign state actors on 
the sovereignty of Afghanistan and the strategic 
national security interests of the United States 
in the region. 
(F) Any other matter the Secretary of De-
fense, in concurrence with each covered official, 
determines appropriate. 
(3) An assessment of the manner and extent to 
which— 
(A) the Taliban has publicly renounced al- 
Qaeda; 
(B) the Taliban has made any efforts to 
break with al-Qaeda since February 29, 2020, 
and a description of these efforts; 
(C) any senior al-Qaeda leaders, including 
Ayman al-Zawahiri, or any leaders of al-Qaeda 
in the Indian Subcontinent, have been present 
in Afghanistan since February 29, 2020, and if 
so, the names of the leaders, the dates they 
were present in Afghanistan, and their other lo-
cations since February 29, 2020; 
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(D) any members of al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda in 
the Indian Subcontinent, al-Qaeda-affiliated 
groups, or any covered terrorist organization 
have, since February 29, 2020— 
(i) fought alongside, trained alongside, 
otherwise operated alongside, or sheltered 
with the Taliban in Afghanistan; 
(ii) conducted attacks inside Afghani-
stan, and, if so, the dates and locations of 
such attacks; 
(iii) operated training camps or re-
lated facilities inside Afghanistan, and, if 
so, the locations of those camps or facili-
ties; 
(iv) traveled from Afghanistan to 
Pakistan or Iran, or from Pakistan or Iran 
to Afghanistan; 
(v) continued to have ties to any 
Taliban leaders or members located in 
Pakistan; or 
(vi) continued to work with the 
Haqqani Network; 
(E) any of the prisoners released by the 
Government of Afghanistan as a result of the 
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February 29, 2020, agreement between the 
United States and Taliban— 
(i) are members of, or have ties to, 
any covered terrorist organizations or any 
other organization designated by the 
United States as a foreign terrorist organi-
zation pursuant to section 219 of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1189) and, if so, the names of such former 
prisoners and the reasons for their deten-
tion inside Afghanistan; or 
(ii) are suspected of taking part in at-
tacks against American service members or 
civilians or attacks that caused American 
casualties and, if so, the names of the pris-
oners, the date and location of such at-
tacks, and the number of American casual-
ties attributed to such attacks; 
(F) any of the prisoners the Taliban has 
requested for release, but who have not yet been 
released as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act, are members of, or have ties to, any cov-
ered terrorist organizations or any other organi-
zation designated by the United States as a for-
eign terrorist organization pursuant to section 
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219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1189) and, if so, the names of the pris-
oners and the organizations to which they are 
affiliated; and 
(G) senior Taliban leaders, including mem-
bers of the Haqqani Network, who are located 
in Pakistan continue to exercise control over the 
insurgency in Afghanistan. 
(4) The number of attacks that the Taliban has 
carried out in Afghanistan since February 29, 2020, 
including the location and date of each attack as 
well as casualties related to each attack. 
(d) FORM.—The report described in subsection (c) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form without any des-
ignation relating to dissemination control, but may contain 
a classified annex that is accompanied by an unclassified 
summary of the annex. 
(e) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Defense may waive 
the limitation under subsection (b) if, in consultation with 
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Com-
mander of United States Forces, Afghanistan, the Sec-
retary— 
(1) determines that the waiver is— 
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(A) necessary due to an imminent and ex-
traordinary threat to members of the United 
States Armed Forces in the Afghanistan; or 
(B) vital to the national security interests 
of the United States; and 
(2) submits to the appropriate congressional 
committees a detailed, written justification for such 
waiver, not later than 10 days after the effective 
date of the waiver; and 
(3) in the case of a determination described in 
paragraph (1)(A), includes in such justification each 
of the following: 
(A) A detailed description of the change in 
threat assessment leading to the determination. 
(B) An explanation for the reasons for 
which existing force protection mechanisms 
were not sufficient to reasonably ensure the 
safety of members of the Armed Forces. 
(C) The steps that have been taken to en-
sure that United States equipment does not fall 
into enemy hands. 
(D) A description of the coordination with 
allied countries of the North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization and with other allies and partners 
with respect to the withdrawal. 
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(E) A description of the coordination with 
the Department of State to ensure the safety of 
American citizens in Afghanistan in light of and 
subsequent to the withdrawal. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Armed Services of 
the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Armed Services of the Senate; 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and 
(C) the Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence of the House of Representatives 
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
Senate. 
(2) COVERED
OFFICIAL.—The term ‘‘covered 
official’’ means— 
(A) the Secretary of State; 
(B) the Director of National Intelligence; 
(C) the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff; 
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(D) the Commander of United States Cen-
tral Command; 
(E) the Commander of United States 
Forces, Afghanistan; and 
(F) the United States Permanent Rep-
resentative to the North Atlantic Treaty Orga-
nization. 
(3) COVERED TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.—The 
term ‘‘covered terrorist organization’’ means any of 
the following: 
(A) al-Qaeda and affiliates, including al- 
Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. 
(B) The Islamic State and affiliates. 
(C) Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan. 
(D) The Haqqani Network. 
(E) Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. 
(F) Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement. 
(G) Ansralluh. 
(H) Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (including under 
the alias Jamaat-ud-Dawa). 
(I) Jaish-e-Mohammed. 
(J) Harakat ul-Jihad-Islami. 
(K) Harakat ul-Mujahidin. 
(L) Jaysh al-Adl. 
(M) Lashkar-i-Jhangvi. 
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(N) Mullah Nasir Group. 
(O) Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group. 
(P) Lashkar-i-Islam. 
(Q) Islamic Jihad Union Group. 
(R) Jamaat-ud-Dawa al Quran. 
(S) Ansarul Islam. 
Æ 
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