Government watchdog audit finds 2 department bureaus failed to vet funding recipients.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement could not provide documentation for roughly $293 million given to Afghanistan projects. The government watchdog showed that only three of five bureaus that gave aid to Afghanistan in 2022 could prove compliance with counterterrorism vetting requirements.
The State Department responded, “While the majority of the Department’s Afghanistan-related awards fully complied with federal and Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) partner vetting requirements, the Department acknowledges some of the gaps in compliance highlighted in the report on certain awards implemented in Afghanistan.“
The department continued, “The Department takes vetting requirements seriously and continuously works to implement internal guidance, which helps ensure compliance with all applicable vetting requirements. We remain committed to compliance with federal and FAM partner vetting and award document retention requirements to prevent the mishandling of U.S. taxpayer funds.“
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko as he oversees his agency.
- For Secretary Blinken and State Department officials as they review to correct and comply with vetting procedures for allocating aid.
Sources: SIGAR.mil, Stars and Stripes
