Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mrs. SPARTZ. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I have a very simple but very important amendment. All this amendment says is that the Secretary of State cannot use any funds in this appropriation that are not explicitly authorized by Congress to be given to the United Nations. I think it is very important.

I have been in the trenches quite a bit with a lot of conflicts and where people are dying in many countries.

The American people are very generous and help a lot of people around the world, but we want to make sure that this money doesn't go to very fancy executives that pay themselves big salaries in the U.N. and are driving very fancy cars, eating steak dinners, and staying in very fancy hotels while the people next door are dying. It actually should go to the people that the American people are willing to help.

I think it is very important that unauthorized funds by Congress won't be frivolously given out by the Secretary of State.

That is the intent of Congress, and I think this is a very good amendment.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mrs. SPARTZ. Mr. Chairman, I think the gentlewoman has misrepresented this amendment. This amendment says if Congress doesn't authorize these funds, they shouldn't be spent by the other branch and given to the U.N. It should not preclude Congress from doing its job and actually authorizing the funds.

I tell you, this organization failed many people around the world. Millions of people are dying in Africa.

When I talk to these people, they haven't seen the big input the U.N. is doing. They failed to deter from conflicts, including Ukraine. I haven't seen them on the ground in Ukraine or Poland.

We have major issues around the world. I saw what is happening in countries in South America. Don't tell me we are not giving money in the Middle East. I just went there. What is happening in Syria and other countries--don't tell me that this organization didn't fail the American people and people around the world.

If our Congress is going to continue this, we need to look seriously at why they cater to Russia and China at the expense of American taxpayers and their hard-earned money.

I think Congress needs to do its job. Before any money would be given to this organization, they have to be accountable to the American people, and they have to be authorized.

If Congress authorizes money and gives it to the Secretary of State to provide to the United Nations, you can still do that, but we have to start doing our job because a lot of people are suffering around the world. If America doesn't stand up for them, no one else will.

The American people expect accountability for our hard-earned money, and I hope that it can be on a bipartisan basis because there are a lot of people who make a lot of money around the world over there.

They have very high-paying jobs, but a lot of poorer people, including in Africa, are dying. I think we have to be accountable and responsible for that, and it shouldn't be a partisan issue.

We actually just had a bipartisan codel, and both the committee chair and the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia Subcommittee chair were concerned about what they heard about the U.N. from real people, not executives at the U.N. They have this job and protect their salaries and live a very good life, but actual, real people are suffering.

We are willing to help real people that are suffering, but we need to put pressure on the U.N. to be accountable to the American people.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to stand up with the people, not with the special interest groups that lobby for a lot of things here, destroying our Republic and destroying peace around the world.

These organizations were created for some purposes, and they failed. Maybe it is time to rethink what kind of structure we should have that actually benefits peace around the world.

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Mrs. SPARTZ. Mr. Chairman, I just want to say one more time that Congress is supposed to authorize this funding. If we are not doing the job, we shouldn't waive the rules.

Mr. Chair, are they doing their job or not? If Congress believes, based on consideration, that these funds should be provided, the other side needs to make the case. We can authorize these funds, but they have to be accountable that the funds are used wisely.

All it says is unauthorized spending is not going to be waived by Congress. We need to stop waiving and neglecting our job.

Maybe if we get a little bit more pressure, we will start doing our job. We should be actually authorizing funds and appropriating funds.

If not, then we have to be accountable. I truly believe this is very important for Congress to start looking at spending and start providing proper oversight.

I truly believe that this is an issue that I hope will be supported on a bipartisan basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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