mr. chairman , i rise today to express my strong support for h.r. 2745 , the united nations ( u.n. ) reform act . 
i would like to take this opportunity to thank the distinguished gentleman from illinois ( mr. hyde ) , chairman of the international relations committee , for his leadership on this critically important issue . 
for years , americans have watched with disbelief as the united nations has put brutal dictatorships like syria and sudan on its human rights commission , while at the same time it lectures free democracies on what it means to respect human rights . 
now , we are seeing not only misplaced condescension , but also widespread corruption . 
the u.n . 
was established in order to promote international cooperation and peace between nations . 
however , the good intentions that led to the u.n. 's founding have been followed by a long list of mismanagement , scandal and corruption . 
clearly , the u.n . 
is in desperate need of reform . 
most recently , for example , there were problems of kickbacks , bribes and nepotism within the oil for food program . 
there are also serious concerns with the behavior of the u.n . 
peacekeepers in africa , including accusations of sexual abuse of the very people they are there to protect . 
these are just two areas of concern ; there are countless other examples . 
this important legislation requires the u.n . 
to make 39 critical reforms to decrease bureaucracy , increase oversight and most significantly provide accountability . 
in order to ensure that the u.n . 
takes action , the bill requires the u.s. to withhold 50 percent of our contribution if the u.n . 
does not enact these much-needed reforms . 
the united states is by far the largest contributor to the u.n . 
this year , the u.s. is expected to provide 22 percent of the u.n. 's budget , an estimated $ 362 million . 
it is a travesty that our tax dollars are being misused by the u.n . 
with no accountability . 
this is why we need this legislation . 
in closing , mr. chairman , i urge my colleagues to support this bill . 
