Wilson Calls for Basing US Support on UN Reform

Today, Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) made the following remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives: "Mr. Speaker, Saddam Hussein was able to siphon almost $10 billion from a United Nations-administered program that was designed to provide food and care to the Iraqi people. As Iraq continues to recover from Hussein's brutal dictatorship, I'll urge the UN to recover these funds for the Iraqi people," said Wilson. "Unfortunately, the Oil for Food scandal was only one example of a long litany of scandals associated with the UN. This week, Congress will vote on the United Nations Reform Act of 2005, which will ensure efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness at the UN. If the organization fails to enact these reforms, America's contributions to the UN assessed budget will be reduced by 50%. "These reforms will assure the American people that their dollars are only used for legitimate and valuable UN projects. When we contribute billions of American dollars to the UN each year, the United States should not continue to pay for UN programs that operate with essentially a blank check. "In conclusion, God bless our troops and we will never forget September 11th." ###