Patrick Leahy: “the idea that anybody is trying to give the Secretary General, whoever he might be, of the United Nations, the ability…”

“the idea that anybody is trying to give the Secretary General, whoever he might be, of the United Nations, the ability to impose taxes on the United States is about in the league of all these black helicopters that appear in the middle of the night, bringing U.N. troops around to take over whatever parts of the United States they are about to do. That is not about to happen. I just want to make sure we understand, in voting for this, we could be cutting off our ability, if the United Nations has borrowed from any of these international organizations, our ability to make payments to the U.N. Environment Program, the World Food Program, International Atomic Energy Agency, UNICEF, the International Fund for the Advancement of Women, the International Fund Against Torture, the U.N. Environmental Program, and on and on. That may be wise policy. My suggestion would be that perhaps, as such policy, it should be debated and included in an authorization bill which would originate in the committee of the distinguished Senator from North Carolina, the committee he chairs. Should he wish to do that in such an authorization bill, he ought to, rather than try to attach it onto this appropriations bill. But he is, of course free, as any Senator is, to bring up anything he wants. I just want to make sure we know exactly what it is we are voting for.”