I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 346
To prohibit the payment to the United Nations of any contributions by
the United States until United States overpayments to such body have
been properly credited or reimbursed.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 19, 1999
Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on International Relations
A BILL
To prohibit the payment to the United Nations of any con-
tributions by the United States until United States over-
payments to such body have been properly credited or
reimbursed.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United Nations Erro-
neous Debt Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following
findings:
(1) A March 1996 General Accounting Office
report entitled ‘‘Peace Operations’’ details that the
United States has provided $6,600,400,000 during
fiscal years 1992 through 1995 in support of mili-
tary and peacekeeping operations of the United Na-
tions.
(2) These funds which have come from various
Federal agencies, primarily the Department of De-
fense, were used to provide military supplies, trans-
portation, humanitarian relief, and other services.
(3) Only about $1,800,000,000 was credited
against assessed contributions to the United Na-
tions.
(4) Of the remaining $4,800,000,000, only
$79,400,000 was reimbursed to the United States by
the United Nations.
(5) In effect providing a $4,720,600,000 gift to
the United Nations from the United States, which
has not been credited against the alleged arrearages
in assessed contributions owed by the United States
to the United Nations in the reported amount of
$1,300,000,000.
(6) It is not in the United States taxpayers’
best interest to pay so-called debts to the United
Nations that do not take into account all of the
other assistance the United States has provided to
the United Nations.
(7) There is no United States debt to the
United Nations.
(b) PURPOSES.—It is the purpose of this Act to ter-
minate and prohibit all payments of assessed or voluntary
contributions to the United Nations or any specialized
agency of the United Nations until a just accounting has
credited other assistance provided by the United States
to the United Nations against alleged arrearages in as-
sessed contributions.
SEC. 3. TERMINATION AND PROHIBITION OF PAYMENTS TO
THE UNITED NATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Until a certification is made
under subsection (b) and notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, funds appropriated or otherwise made avail-
able for any fiscal year under ‘‘Contributions to Inter-
national Organizations’’, ‘‘Contributions for International
Peacekeeping’’, or any other account shall not be available
for the payment of any assessed or voluntary contribution
to the United Nations or any specialized agency of the
United Nations or for any obligation or expenditure of
funds for the United Nations or any specialized agency
of the United Nations.
(b) CERTIFICATION.—The certification referred to in
subsection (a) is a certification by the President to the
Congress that—
(1) the United Nations has entered into an
agreement with the United States to reimburse or
credit to the account of the United States an
amount, which is not less than $4,720,600,000,
which reflects unreimbursed financial and other as-
sistance of the United States to the military peace-
keeping efforts of the United Nations from 1992
through 1995; or
(2) the United Nations—
(A) has eliminated $1,300,000,000 in al-
leged arrearages of the United States to the
United Nations; and
(B) has entered into an agreement with
the United States to reimburse or credit to the
account of the United States an amount, which
is not less than $3,500,000,000.
Æ