When the final US troops left Afghanistan in August, there was still $7 Billion dollars in Afghan central bank assets locked away in the federal reserve in The United States. This is $7 billion that the new Taliban government claims belongs to them, and $7 billion that could finally pay damages to the families of those who were killed on Sept 11, 2001. Perhaps most urgently, this is $7 billion that could provide valuable relief for the Afghan people facing a dire humanitarian crisis in a nation we occupied for two decades.

This week, President Biden signed an executive order that would split the $7 billion in half, giving just half of it to support humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, with a judges’ approval. The other $3.5 billion is being freed up for a group of relatives of victims of the Sept. 11th attacks who filed a lawsuit against the Taliban 20 years ago, and could claim this money for damages. 

We spoke with with Charlie Savage, New York Times National Security and Legal Reporter and author of “Power Wars,” to help explain to us why Biden is proposing to split these funds in half, and why he’s facing criticism.