PrintGOP to target UN funding
I'm not sure cutting off all funding for the UN is a good idea. Once you leave New York, the organization's WHO, refugee department, and other humanitarian pieces of the UN provide necessary infrastructure for a world wide effort in these areas. Otherwise, the US taxpayer would be on the hook for almost the entire cost of these departments if they were free standing entities. At least working through the UN, it forces other nations to contribute, thus alleviating some of the burden on the US.
We'd be giving money anyway to these groups, even without the UN, so it seems logical that our contributions can be radically reduced while still supporting some of the humanitarian missions of the UN.
That said, the idea that we give 5 times more than any other nation is absurd. That sum was agreed to when the world couldn't afford to contribute. But it's now time to let some of that oil money in Arabia replace some of our own contributions; or China's massive trade surplus pick up the slack; or the relative prosperity in European nations cause an increase in their donations.
The Hill:
"There are constituencies for every spending item in the federal budget, but I believe there can be no sacred cows if Congress is to prove itself to be serious about reducing our deficit," Brady told The Hill, adding he thinks the proposals should attract bipartisan support.There are several other bills that take on the UN that have been introduced. The coming hearings should be an eye opener to some who may not have heard much of oil for food, peacekeepers raping the people they are supposed to be protecting, massive graft in the UN Secretariat, and criminal disregard for human rights by members of the human rights panel."America can fulfill its generous financial obligations to the U.N., but will set priorities within the voluntary funding areas," he said. "A financially and economically sound United States is in the U.N.'s best interest."
Ros-Lehtinen sounded another warning shot at the U.N. on Friday, criticizing the "irony" of the director of the investigations division of the U.N.'s internal oversight office, Michael Dudley, being investigated for retaliating against whistleblowers.
"The fact that the U.S. continues to contribute billions of taxpayer dollars every year to an unaccountable, unreformed U.N. is no laughing matter," she said in a statement. "These allegations reinforce the need for expanded and effective oversight of the U.N. Next week, our committee will lead the way by holding the first of several briefings and hearings on UN reform."
