[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REFORMING THE UNITED NATIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Stearns] is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a topic of much 
importance: Reforming and improving the United Nations. I think the 
time has come to look at this important agency and make some changes. 
We should not continue the status quo any longer.
  In 1996, 134,281 tickets were issued by the New York City police to 
the United Nations diplomatic and consular vehicles. Almost all of 
those were unpaid. The Nation of Russia itself accounted for 31,000 
unpaid tickets. Foreign United Nations officials have more of their 
salaries and pensions paid by the American taxpayers than from their 
own country.
  There is sort of a elitism that is existing at the United Nations. 
And Americans are fed up with the elaborate spending without some kind 
of accountability at the United Nations. That is why I sponsored 
legislation, House Resolution 21, that expresses the sense of the House 
of Representatives that unless the United Nations adopts certain 
reforms, the United States should withhold financial support for the 
United Nations and its specialized agency until certain prudent things 
are done.
  Now, let me tell you what this is about. I believe, first of all, we 
should have a comprehensive, independent audit of the United Nations 
and its specialized agencies. No. 2, an audit of its functions to 
determine if these functions can be carried out more efficiently by 
other organizations, or perhaps within the private sector. Prompt and 
complete implementation of the audit recommendations and the possible 
termination of New York City as a permanent headquarters of the United 
Nations should also be considered.
  Mr. Speaker, perhaps we could rotate the location of the United 
Nations and allow it to go to other countries. Other nations could 
provide the headquarters. Implementing a rotation system like I have 
suggested could create a more efficient operation, I believe and allow 
other countries to help with the overhead costs. Prior approval by the 
primary donor member countries for peacekeeping operations is something 
we should have some control of. We now need a more careful definition 
and a more effective execution of the United Nations peacekeeping 
operations in itself.
  Last, Mr. Speaker, a lot of Americans are concerned that the United 
Nations is going to implement a tax on the Internet, or perhaps a tax 
on worldwide banking transfers. We should clarify, completely clarify, 
for the American people that absolutely no taxing power or the right to 
raise revenues directly on the American people can be implemented by 
the United Nations.
  My legislation is only the start of changing and improving the United 
Nations. I believe the time has come. The time is now. I believe even 
the leadership of the United Nations would agree with some of my ideas. 
The people of our country chose to change the party in power in the 
U.S. Congress for the first time in 40 years in 1994. I believe the 
overriding reason for the historic change was that the American people 
wanted a smaller, more responsive, and more efficient Federal 
Government. They wanted Congress to reevaluate every level and every 
aspect of our Federal Government, and I think the American people want 
the same thing done at the United Nations.
  Another fundamental area that Americans wanted reevaluated of course 
is our overall national foreign policy. The world has dramatically 
changed with the downfall of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, but 
our foreign policy has failed to react properly to this change. There 
are different threats today in the world. The United Nations has 
created a response to horrors of the two world wars, but that has 
changed.
  We now see a world that is overwhelmingly democratic, or implementing 
democratic change, and a world that is embracing free markets. It was 
the perseverance of the American people and the American leadership in 
combating the evils of communism that led to these changes. I think we 
provided to the world the American model of government and economics. 
Why not have the United Nations provide a new model, a new pattern, in 
diplomacy and fiscal responsibility. The United Nations should meet the 
new demands of the world today and set this pattern by reforming 
itself.
  Outside of legitimate concerns with some terrorist nations and North 
Korean, Iraq, and the threat of programs from Communist China, the 
world has been working. It is working to solve problems on a day-to-day 
basis. It is obvious to me and to many Americans that we need a new 
pattern for the United Nations, less bureaucratic, more efficient, more 
fiscally responsible; like we are trying to do here in Congress. A 
permanent United Nations based in New York City may not be in the best 
interests of creating a new U.N. model. The American people, the 
American taxpayers, simply cannot subsidize a group of elite diplomats 
indefinitely without reform.
  So, I urge my colleagues to cosponsor my House Resolution 21. It 
makes sense. The time is now.

                          ____________________