We have a critical opportunity to send a bill to the President’s desk that would finally repeal the funding cap on UN peacekeeping.
Ask Congress to Repeal the Cap on UN Peacekeeping
The U.S. remains over $1 billion in debt to the UN, a situation that grows more untenable by the day.
Can you ask your Members of Congress to support this important legislation so that we can finally match American words with American actions and pay what we owe?
As you may know, for over two decades the United States has imposed an arbitrary cap on our contributions to UN peacekeeping, which stops us from paying the full amount we owe. By not paying our fair share, the U.S. has underfunded the UN by over one billion dollars in just the last five years. These shortfalls cause operational and financial hardships for the UN and for the mainly lower income countries that contribute peacekeeping troops.
More recently, China has used our failure to pay our dues against us, calling the U.S. “the world’s biggest debtor.” One of the best ways to counter China’s actions and stand up for human rights and our values at the UN is to ensure we have a seat at the table and are contributing our share.
This bill would repeal the cap and improve U.S. financial standing long-term, which would allow the U.S. to advocate more effectively for our national security interests. This legislation would also direct the U.S. Ambassador to the UN to advocate for a number of critical reforms at the UN.
Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. David Cicilline have circulated a bicameral letter in support of this legislation. I hope that you will consider signing onto it. If you have any questions, you are encouraged to reach out to Keith Sonia at keith.sonia@mail.house.gov with Congressman Cicilline or Samir Hammoud at Samir_Hammoud@booker.senate.gov with Senator Booker.