Representative Mike Kelly Calls Today's Vote on Overpayment to the United Nations a Failure in Leadership

Statement

Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03) issued the following statement in response to today's vote on the United Nations Tax Equalization Refund Act of 2011 (H.R. 519), which would have required the United Nations to return to the U.S. government $179 million that the U.S. overpaid to the U.N. Tax Equalization Fund:

"House Democrats missed an opportunity today to tell the American people that they are serious about cutting spending and ending waste in Washington.

"By its own admission, the United Nations said it owed the U.S. $179 million in overpayments. Instead of returning the money to the American taxpayer, House Democrats effectively told the U.N. to keep the change. This would never happen in the private sector and it shouldn't be happening in the public sector.

"Washington has a real problem with throwing around taxpayer dollars as if they belong to Congress. It's the people's money; the U.N. had too much of it; and Democrats voted today against returning it to its rightful owner. It's a sad day and hopefully not a harbinger of things to come as we prepare to debate the budget next week."

The bill, which failed to reach the required two-thirds vote to pass, was introduced by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

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