[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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