madam chairman , i rise to oppose the hyde amendment to add the text of h.r. 2745 , the u.n . 
reform act of 2005 to the underlying bill . 
this legislation sends the signal to the world that our nation has a disdain for the united nations and i for one can not support that idea . 
there are many instances in which the u.n . 
has been instrumental in furthering u.s. foreign policy objectives . 
in the past year alone , the u.n . 
helped organize parliamentary elections in iraq , reconstruction efforts following the indian ocean tsunami , and helped mediate the withdrawal of syrian armed forces from lebanon . 
a reformed u.n . 
could be even more complementary to u.s. interests abroad , but only if the u.s. does not alienate other member states and create animosity in the process . 
the inflexibility of the hyde legislation would create resentment among member states , and the automatic withholding of dues would cripple the institution . 
chairman hyde 's unilateral approach to u.n . 
reform promises to thwart the growing international consensus for reform , which will be addressed by at least 174 nations at the september summit in new york . 
we need a more flexible approach which does not dictate unrealistic deadlines for changes or threaten automatic withholding of dues , will achieve u.s. goals without causing widespread resentment among member states whose support we depend on . 
the hyde bill on u.n . 
reform contains many serious flaws which if implemented would not be welcome by the international community . 
peacekeeping is one such area where this bill contains deeply flawed logic . 
the hyde bill points to peacekeeping reforms that everyone agrees are needed . 
these reforms are in fact endorsed by the u.n . 
department of peacekeeping operations and in most cases , these reforms are already underway to address recent concerns raised about sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping missions . 
however , the hyde bill says that starting this fall , the u.s. must prevent the expansion of existing missions or the creation of any new u.n . 
peacekeeping missions until all specified reforms are completed and certified by the secretary of state . 
the truth is that some of these requirements simply can not be met by the fall , true reform takes time . 
reforms will require careful implementation the united states of america have always prided ourselves on helping those who can not help themselves , on aiding those who are being massacred simply because of who they are , but now this bill seeks for our nation to turn a blind eye to these people . 
we , as the 109th congress can not allow ourselves to be the ones who cut off assistance to these desperate people . 
not only does the hyde bill take a wrong approach to peacekeeping , but it will also create great problems with the budget at the united nations . 
the hyde bill claims to `` pursue a streamline , efficient , and accountable regular assessed budget of the united nations , '' yet in reality the approach taken by the bill will wreak havoc on the u.n . 
budget process and will result in the automatic withholding of u.s. financial obligations to the u.n . 
regular budget . 
this flawed bill attempts to shift funding for 18 specific programs from assessed contributions to voluntary contributions . 
to achieve these goals , the bill mandates the withholding of up to $ 100 million in u.s. dues to the u.n . 
regular budget . 
while this idea may have merit , the u.s. should work with its allies to advance it through the budget committee at the u.n . 
instead of starting from the point of withholding dues , which should be our nation 's last resort . 
furthermore , the hyde proposal links 50 percent of u.n . 
dues to a list of 39 conditions , not only at the u.n . 
secretariat , the hyde bill also calls for certain steps supported by the u.n . 
and the u.s. , such as the strengthening of the u.n. 's oversight functions , the creation of a peacebuilding commission , and reforms in u.n . 
peacekeeping . 
however , it calls for these reforms to be funded solely within existing resources . 
if the u.s. withholds dues as this bill calls for , even less funding will be available to support these reforms . 
this bill also calls for the creation of new positions in several departments , including the office of internal oversight services and the department of peacekeeping operations , without allowing resources to fund these positions . 
clearly , too many of the provisions of the hyde u.n . 
reform bill will only cause resentment against the united states in the international community . 
achieving reform by consensus in a body with 191 members is difficult , but this is not in itself a reason by by-pass the consensus building process . 
the more member states that are engaged in achieving reform , the more legitimate and effective the changes will be . 
the u.s. should lead the way by actively promoting a tough reform agenda and retaining the threat of withholding dues as a last resort . 
reform should not , however , be a crusade led by the u.s. against the institution and its member states . 
unfortunately , this bill on u.n . 
reform will not lead to reform , but only to the weakening of the united nations . 
i urge support against the hyde amendment . 
madam chairman , i yield back the balance of my time . 
