Ros-Lehtinen Criticizes UN Chief for Calling U.S. “the Biggest Deadbeat” During Wednesday Meeting with House Members

House Foreign Affairs Committee  U.S. House of Representatives  Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Republican
	For Immediate Release  March 11, 2009	Contact:  Sam Stratman, (202) 226-7875 Brad Goehner, (202) 226-8467 Alex Cruz, (202) 225-8200
	Ros-Lehtinen Criticizes UN Chief for Calling U.S. “the Biggest Deadbeat” During Wednesday Meeting with House Members
	(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it was “beyond belief” that the UN Secretary General would describe the U.S as “the biggest deadbeat” donor.  Statement of Ros-Lehtinen:   “Last year, American taxpayers ponied up nearly $5 billion for the UN system. The U.S. is by far the world’s largest donor to the UN.  The U.S. provides other assistance for peacekeeping operations.  TheU.S. responds to emergency appeals.  We are always on deck.   “Yet, the head of the UN comes to Congress and scolds us for not doing enough?  He demands yet more money from us while making little progress in cleaning up the badly broken UN?    “The UN’s ineffectiveness is not from a lack of cash, but the result of a corrupt system which wastes money and apologizes for dictatorships.   “The UN has been hijacked by a rogues’ gallery that uses our funds to undermine peace and security. Dictatorships use the Human Rights Council and Durban 2 conference process to restrict universal freedoms and protect extremists.  The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) aids violent Islamists and partners with money-laundering banks under U.S. sanctions or under U.S. investigation for financing Islamist militants.  The UN Development Program (UNDP) pays the legal fees of its corrupt officials but refuses to protect whistleblowers.    “While Iran, Syria, and North Korea endanger the entire world, the UN is pre-occupied with condemning democratic states like the U.S. and Israel.    “The American people are facing serious economic challenges here at home.  How can a morally-bankrupt UN ask our taxpayers to bail out them out?”   Note: The UN Secretary General made these comments at a meeting this morning with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. ######