More "Nice-To-Do"s: The UN

"The thinking was, there's not enough money for everything. There are 'must-do,' 'need-to-do' and 'nice-to-do' programs that we have to pay for. Itis somewhere between a 'need-to-do' and a 'nice-to-do.' "

- Ralph Regula (R-OH), talking about the reasoning for the 100% cut in Federal Support for public Broadcasting.
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The powerful subcommittees of the House of Representatives have sure been doing a lot of extra work this week. Fresh off of cutting the paltry budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the House moved to further the intent of John Bolton and cut the US funding support to the UN by half unless it broke itself down into US-designed reforms:

In a move virtually certain to add to strains between the U.S. Congress and the United Nations, the International Relations Committee (HIRC) of the House of Representatives Wednesday approved a sweeping bill that, if passed into law, will require Washington to withhold up to half of assessed U.S. contributions to the world body unless it implements specific reforms.

Among other ”reforms,” The United Nations Reform Act of 2005, which is expected to be approved on the House floor next week, would also require the U.N. to fund most of its programs through voluntary contributions, rather than mandatory dues from its 191 member-states, and enable Washington to pick and choose those programs it wished to fund.

It would also require the U.N. to set up a number of new oversight boards to investigate the U.N. bureaucracy and specific agencies, as well as adopt new rules that would bar alleged human rights violators from serving the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

And it would withhold U.S. support for new or expanded U.N. peacekeeping operations until specific reforms are implemented.

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”We are very disappointed in the approval of a bill that will most likely trigger new U.N. arrears for the U.S.,” [Former Senator Timothy Wirth] said. ”The last time the U.S. withheld funds, it led to a huge debt to the U.N. and inhibited our ability to lead within the institution.

”This is like trying to force a bank to renegotiate your home mortgage by refusing to make your monthly payments,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid continues his noble quest to refuse Bolton's idle nomination as US Ambassador to the UN without the release of documents for review. It is certainly feasible that both of these events will happen: The UN Reform bill will pass and John Bolton's nomination will succeed. The combined effects of these two adamant anti-UN events will carry immense negative weight in the International community. The US continues its refusal to awknowledge a vital international role in what she does.