Wednesday, September 2, 1997

WASHINGTON, DC - At a Wednesday press conference on Capitol Hill, US Representative Ron Paul (R-Surfside, Texas) announced his support for an amendment to the "Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations" act, HR 2267. This amendment, brought forward by Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-Maryland), would strike $100 million designated to go to the United Nations. The press conference was organized by Mr. Bartlett.

The United Nations claims the US owes $1.3 billion to that organization in back dues. However, the Government Accounting Office - a non-partisan, independent agency - has documented that the US has actually over-paid by $3.5 billion. The Bartlett Amendment would eliminate the so-called "arrears payments."

Paul said the amendment is in the best interests of the taxpayers and anyone who votes against it, is voting against the Constitution.

"First and foremost, Congressman take an oath to uphold the Constitution, and there is nothing in the Constitution which authorizes Congress to tax the hard-earned money of Americans to ship off to power-hungry international bureaucrats. Second, Congressmen are morally obligated to do what is in the best interest of the taxpayers. Not only does the US not owe the UN money, the UN owes our nation a significant sum. We owe it to the small farmers and the auto mechanics and the secretaries and the entrepreneurs to be responsible with their money; if we waste more US tax dollars with the UN, this Congress is as empty morally as the savings accounts Congress raids each year to fund these ridiculous programs."

Paul also discussed his measure, HR 1146, the "American Sovereignty Restoration Act." The legislation would extract the United States from the UN.

"Our founding fathers warned us to stay away from 'entangling alliances' with foreign governments, and our Constitution prohibits Congress from ceding US sovereignty to outside groups or individuals," said Paul. "Our participation in the UN violates both these prohibitions. For five decades American soldiers have needlessly been put in harms' way to further the pipe dreams of internationalists and their big-government utopia. We've seen US soldiers dragged through the streets of countries not to protect the life and liberty of Americans, but to give UN bureaucrats a reason for existence."

Earlier this year more than 50 of his fellow members of Congress voted on an amendment which would have accomplished the same goal as HR 1146.

"The American people see through the UN sham. They want to end our relationship with that organization," said Paul. "Until that day comes, the very least we in Congress can do is limit how much the UN bureaucrats steal from working Americans. At a time when our government cannot even balance its books, the United Nations is a worthless drain on our scarce national resources."