This Republican politician’s bill prohibits the allocation of U.S. funds for the United Nations and its agencies.

Mike Lee, a Republican senator from Utah, proposed the “Disengaging Entirely from the United Nations Debacle” (DEFUND), a bill that seeks to have the United States completely withdraw from the UN system.

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“No more blank checks for the United Nations. Americans’ hard-earned dollars have been funneled into initiatives that fly in the face of our values, enabling tyrants, betraying allies, and spreading bigotry,” he said.

“With the DEFUND Act, we’re stepping away from this debacle. If we engage with the UN in the future, it will be on our terms, with the full backing of the Senate and an iron-clad escape clause,” the Republican politician added.

The bill prohibits the allocation of funds for designated or voluntary contributions from the U.S. to the UN or any formally affiliated body, specialized agency, commission, or other entity. It also bans any agreement between the United States and the UN regarding the organization’s headquarters.

According to the proposal, the United States would cease participating in UN peacekeeping operations and terminate all involvement in agreements and accords with the UN and its affiliated bodies or agencies; therefore, any functions resulting from such contracts would not be carried out.

“The President may not enter into an agreement to be a member of the United Nations or any formally affiliated body, specialized agency, commission, or other entity of the United Nations without the advice and consent of the Senate,” the bill states.

“The United Nations has become a platform for tyrants and a place to attack the United States and its allies. While President Trump revolutionizes our foreign policy by putting America first, we should withdraw from this sham organization and prioritize real alliances that keep our country safe and prosperous,” Lee stated in an interview with Fox News.

“Despite all the money and attention it has received, this corrupt globalist organization has failed for decades to prevent wars, genocides, human rights violations, and even pandemics,” asserted Chip Roy, a Republican representative from Texas.

Currently, the U.S. is the largest financial contributor to the United Nations. In 2022, for example, it donated over US$18 billion to the multilateral institution, a figure representing nearly one-third of its budget.

The bill is expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives on Friday. Previously, on February 4, Trump signed an executive order to reassess U.S. participation in the UN, arguing that the institution was not fulfilling its function.

He also halted funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), ordered the United States’ withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, and launched an investigation into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to identify possible “anti-American sentiments” and “biases against Israel.”

On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the role of the United Nations while commenting on a Republican lawmaker’s initiative for the U.S. to withdraw from the multilateral organization.

“We continue to recognize the UN leading role and believe that, despite all its evident inefficiencies in facing modern challenges, there is no alternative to this organization. And most importantly, in all likelihood, there is no objective possibility of creating any kind of alternative,” he stated.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – Mike Lee

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