mr. chairman , i rise to oppose the united nations reform act of 2005 as it is currently constituted .  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 .  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 at the u.n .  as well as by the 100-plus troop contributing countries , and in some cases will require additional u.n .  staff and funding 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 streamlined , 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 , 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 .  oversight function , 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 to 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 .  with great respect for chairman hyde and his intent i regretfully will have to oppose h.r. 2745 .  