mr. speaker , for the purpose of debate only , i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from florida ( mr. hastings ) xz4001701 , pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
during consideration of this resolution , all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only . 
this resolution waives all points of order against consideration of the bill h.r. 2745 , the henry j. hyde united nations reform act of 2005 , and provides a structured rule for consideration of 28 different amendments , including an amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by the minority . 
the rule provides for the offering of the 28 specified amendments according to subject areas as designated in the text of the resolution , and with a cumulative total of an hour and 40 minutes of general debate to be divided equally by the chairman and ranking minority member of the committee on international relations . 
madam speaker , i am pleased to stand before the house today in strong support of this rule and the underlying legislation , h.r. 2745 , the henry j. hyde united nations reform act of 2005 . 
madam speaker , with 28 amendments in order , to poorly paraphrase winston churchill , never will so much be said by so many about so little , in this case , just a single subject act . 
it is fitting , though , madam speaker , that this bill be named after our esteemed colleague to my right , the gentleman from illinois ( chairman hyde ) , who has served and is serving with such distinction and integrity and has been a stalwart in these halls for the past 30 years . 
he is to be commended for putting together a well-thought-out , comprehensive measure aimed at helping to bring about real and needed reforms within the united nations . 
i commend also the gentleman from california ( mr. lantos ) xz4002310 , the ranking member , as well for the long-standing cooperation and dedication to bipartisanship in the area of u.s. policy and diplomacy which is evident in many important aspects of this legislation . 
in fact , madam speaker , when these two distinguished gentlemen were testifying before the committee on rules on this bill , i was struck by the fact that the house , and indeed the entire nation , is the beneficiary of decades ' worth of their collective wisdom and firsthand experience . 
we spent the last few weeks discussing dod authorization and appropriations , interior , state and justice appropriations , and these acts have a wide range of topics and generated a multitude of amendments . 
this specific act has generated 28 potential amendments on a single topic , and , madam speaker , i know my colleagues are going to love listening to all 28 of those amendments , but let that not overshadow the reality of this bill . 
this bill is unusual in the bipartisan unity of the content . 
when it comes to the issue of united nations reform , i was also impressed that both gentlemen , the gentleman from illinois ( chairman hyde ) and the gentleman from california ( ranking member lantos ) , seemed to be of one mind when it relates to the necessity for reforms in the wake of continued scandals within various united nations functions . 
there was also a unique , bipartisan unity in supporting the need for a penalty to follow failure of reform . 
there is a small disagreement on who should trigger that penalty , which differences i know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will bring forward , but there can be no doubt as to the underlying need of this penalty phase . 
that is telling . 
to put it in a nutshell , madam speaker , this legislation is long overdue . 
it would require 39 very specific reforms within the areas of u.n . 
budgeting , oversight , accountability , and human rights . 
it provides clarity and a reasonable timetable under which the u.n . 
must act . 
with the u.s. footing the largest share of dues of any nation , a share consistent with our voice , this act should provide some real teeth and real incentives to get the job done . 
to not require such withholdings would only create a paper tiger . 
as an old teacher , i learned that i never made a threat that i was not willing to carry out . 
if students ever thought i was not seriously going to follow through on my disciplinary commitments , i would lose all credibility and lose both the respect and the cooperation of the kids . 
it would create an atmosphere of weakness and chaos . 
no learning would take place . 
such an atmosphere of distrust can not be part of our foreign policy . 
we have seen that too often , and such a potential can not be ignored . 
there are indeed precedents for what we are trying to do both in the 1980s and 1990s when actions by congress ensured change within the united nations . 
it is regrettable , madam speaker , that this bill is even necessary . 
it is regrettable that the united nations would not undertake to clean up its own act in the wake of the oil-for-food scandal , irregularities in the accounting and uses of its funds , misconduct by entrenched u.n . 
bureaucrats , and the deplorable state of the u.n . 
commission on human rights . 
we all witnessed the appalling lack of resolve and consistency in the u.n . 
when it failed to live up to and enforce the 17 different resolutions condemning saddam hussein 's murderous regime . 
when i am at home in my district , some of my constituents will say to me that we ought to pull out of the united nations entirely . 
it is hard to argue with many of them who say that the u.n . 
is merely a haven for corruption , waste and , frankly , anti-americanism . 
we must do all we can to try and rectify all these problems , and to not act would indeed be irresponsible . 
this act sends an unmistakably clear message that specific reforms must be enacted or face real consequences . 
if these reforms are not enacted , the future looks bleak and will only increase the calls to replace the united nations with a more updated handling of international disputes . 
in conclusion , madam speaker , this rule is a good and fair rule . 
it made every single amendment in order , all 28 , which were filed before the committee on rules . 
in short , the only complaint that one may have with this rule is that is may be somewhat parsimonious in its general debate , and we will provide in those 28 amendments a long and wide-ranging debate of all of these important issues . 
with that , madam speaker , i urge adoption of this rule . 
madam speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
