[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3717 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3717

    To prohibit United States voluntary contributions to the United 
                                Nations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 31, 2024

 Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself and Mr. Cruz) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To prohibit United States voluntary contributions to the United 
                                Nations.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Terrorism at the U.N. Act 
of 2024''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for 
        Palestine Refugees in the Near East (referred to in this Act as 
        ``UNRWA'') was established through passage of United Nations 
        Resolution 302 (1949) to assist Arab refugees who had been 
        displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict.
            (2) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
        (referred to in this Act as ``UNHCR'') was established by the 
        United Nations General Assembly in 1950 to assist refugees and 
        other displaced persons, including internally displaced 
        persons, in all regions around the world.
            (3) UNRWA is the only specialized agency or entity of the 
        United Nations with a sole conflict or regional mandate.
            (4) For years, UNRWA has faced credible and corroborated 
        accusations of corruption, antisemitism, and support for 
        terrorism.
            (5) Such accusations include the use of antisemitic 
        material in UNRWA classrooms and the use of UNWRA facilities 
        for the storage of munitions by Hamas, an Iranian-backed, 
        United States-designated foreign terrorist organization.
            (6) On January 26, 2024, UNRWA terminated the contracts of 
        12 staff members who were accused of participating in Hamas' 
        brutal terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.
            (7) The attacks of October 7, 2023, claimed the lives of 
        1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 35 citizens of 
        the United States, and resulted in the hostage taking of 240 
        Israelis and foreign nationals.
            (8) The United States has contributed more than 
        $7,000,000,000 to UNRWA since 1949, making it the largest 
        individual donor to the agency.
            (9) United States contributions to UNRWA were suspended 
        from 2018 through 2020, due to allegations of corruption, 
        antisemitism, and support for terrorism.
            (10) The United States has provided more than $730,000,000 
        to UNRWA since United States contributions to the agency 
        resumed in 2021.
            (11) Following the accusations of the involvement of UNRWA 
        staff in the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, the 
        Department of State announced the temporary suspension of 
        United States funding to UNRWA.
            (12) Since January 26, 2024, more than sixteen additional 
        countries and the European Union have suspended their 
        contributions to UNRWA.
            (13) While the majority of funding for UNRWA comes from 
        voluntary contributions, the agency receives a portion of its 
        funding from the regular budget of the United Nations.
            (14) The estimated budget for the UNRWA for United Nations 
        fiscal year 2024 includes $55,176,800 from the regular budget 
        of the United Nations.
            (15) The United States provides 22 percent of the regular 
        budget of the United Nations.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the UNHCR should serve all global 
refugee and displaced person populations, including those within the 
original jurisdiction of the UNRWA.

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON UNITED STATES CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED 
              NATIONS.

    No funds may be provided as a voluntary or assessed contribution of 
the United States to the United Nations, including any organ, agency, 
or entity of the United Nations until--
            (1) UNRWA is abolished;
            (2) the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate 
        congressional committees that the United Nations has completed 
        appropriate counterterrorism vetting for all United Nations 
        employees and contractors operating in the original 
        jurisdiction of the UNRWA; and
            (3) the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate 
        congressional committees that the United Nations, including 
        staff and facilities receiving United Nations funding, do not 
        teach, promote, or include in materials, such as textbooks and 
        other instructional materials, any content that promotes 
        antisemitism or encourages violence or intolerance toward other 
        countries or ethnic groups.

SEC. 5. TRANSITION REPORT.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report that--
            (1) identifies the totality of services provided by UNRWA;
            (2) details how such services will be absorbed by existing 
        United Nations funds, programs, specialized agencies, and 
        organizations;
            (3) details how such services may be absorbed through 
        bilateral assistance;
            (4) includes a plan to ensure all United Nations funds, 
        programs, specialized agencies, and organizations implement and 
        maintain stringent counterterrorism vetting standards; and
            (5) includes a plan to ensure all United Nations funds, 
        programs, specialized agencies, and organizations implement and 
        maintain stringent oversight of educational material and 
        curriculum that prohibits all content that promotes 
        antisemitism or encourages violence or intolerance toward other 
        countries or ethnic groups.

SEC. 6. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
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