Log Cabin Republicans Urge Congress to Pass United Nations Transparency, Accountability and Reform Act

“Congress has finally moved to pass long overdue free trade agreements with Columbia, Panama and South Korea. Using that momentum, it is time for Congress to also enact long overdue reform at the United Nations,” said R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans and former United States Counselor at the United Nations. “It is incumbent upon the United States to leverage our contributions to the U.N. to ensure reforms and combat efforts by hostile member states to use the U.N. as a platform to harm American interests.”

The United Nations Transparency, Accountability and Reform Act (H.R. 2829) requires the United Nations to switch its dues structure from an assessed basis to a voluntary basis, thereby allowing those nations which overwhelmingly fund the U.N.’s existence to push for badly-needed reform. Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen’s bill is an important step in returning fiscal accountability to the federal government in our foreign affairs.

“Why do we bear the financial burden?” asks Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Every year, scores of member countries that contribute almost nothing to the U.N. vote together to pass the budget. Then they pass the costs on to big donors like the U.S., which is assessed a whopping 22 percent. In contrast, China pays just three percent. We need a game-changer.”

For more information on efforts to reform the United Nations, see:
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/issue_unreform.asp