mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
i would like to state improvement is our goal , too . 
a healthy u.n. , rather than a vast , sprawling , bureaucratic cesspool which is where it is headed . 
everyone agrees to that . 
now this notion that we are obliged by the treaty to pay our dues and that it would be an international default if we did not , that was argued before back in the 1980s . 
contributions to the u.n . 
are made subject to authorization and appropriation of the u.s. congress . 
we have a duty to the taxpayer first to ensure that there is good stewardship of their dollars . 
we have to hold the u.n . 
accountable . 
all countries benefit from an efficient , transparent , and accountable u.n . 
it is not only in our interest . 
we have not signed away part of our sovereignty . 
we are paying big dues : $ 442 million a year just on the dues part . 
peacekeeping is another $ 1 billion . 
to say we do not have an obligation to make the providers that we purchase with our dues perform honorably and efficiently does not make sense . 
mr. chairman , i yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from new jersey ( mr. smith ) xz4003801 . 
