On the recordDecember 15, 2015
The Obama administration is making a push to get Congress to give the President the authority to waive a legal prohibition on U.S. contributions to UNESCO. If the U.S. waives this prohibition and resumes payments to UNESCO, it will erode our credibility, and it will give the Palestinians and the U.N. the green light to continue the scheme to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state without direct negotiations with the democratic Jewish State of Israel. If you add what our yearly contribution would be plus arrears, the American taxpayers, our constituents, could be on the hook for over half a billion dollars in just a couple of years. Mr. Speaker, we know that our law has worked to prevent the Palestinians from joining other specialized agencies at the U.N., but if Congress relents on this issue, the Palestinians will say: Let's continue to bypass Israel and go to the U.N. for recognition. I will continue to vehemently oppose this waiver, Mr. Speaker, and I ask my colleagues to stand with me. ____________________





