mr. chairman , i rise in strong support of h.r. 2745 , the henry j. hyde united nations reform act of 2005 . 
h.r. 2745 is a common sense piece of legislation that would mandate timely change to a united nations suffering from scandal , mismanagement and abuse . 
specifically , it would withhold 50 percent of regular assessed budget contributions unless the u.n . 
enacts 39 specific budgetary , accountability , and human rights-related reforms necessary to providing needed transparency to the world body . 
the need for this legislation could not be more evident . 
over the past few years we have witnessed a united nations mired in scandal . 
the u.n . 
oil-for-food program was a glaring failure that served only to benefit a tyrant and keep the iraqi people in a state of despondency and despair . 
as a result , the oil-for-food program has become the biggest scandal in the history of the u.n . 
and one of the greatest financial scandals of modern times . 
scandals involving u.n . 
peacekeeping operations have also escalated . 
in congo and bosnia , u.n . 
peacekeepers were accused of widespread sexual exploitation and rape of refugees , betraying the trust of the very people they were there to protect . 
in sierra leone , peacekeepers were accused of systematically raping women . 
these actions are reprehensible in any society and unbecoming to an organization whose founding charter is dedicated to the promotion and respect for human rights and maintaining international peace and security . 
in recent years , the u.n . 
has also abdicated their role as a protector of human rights . 
this legislation rightfully prevents some of the world 's premier human rights abusers such as cuba , sudan and libya from having a seat on the u.n . 
commission of human rights . 
without h.r. 2745 , we will be sending american taxpayer dollars to support an international organization that currently embraces mediocrity , corruption and waste as the status quo . 
the united nations reform act will go a long way to employ proper checks and balances to an organization that i believe has lost control of both its purpose and mission , and no longer adequately represents the united states ' interests , nor the interests of democracies around the world . 
it is time for these common sense reforms . 
the american people who pay 22 percent of the u.n . 
dues demand that their tax dollars go to an organization that is transparent , and accountable . 
mr. chairman , i urge passage of this legislation . 
