Ricketts, Fischer, Risch Announce Plans to Introduce Bill to End U.S. Funding for United Nations

October 23, 2024

OMAHA, NE – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), joined Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member of SFRC, to announce their intent to introduce the Stand with Israel Act when the Senate reconvenes in November. This legislation would cut off U.S. funding to the United Nations (UN) and stop support to agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend, and restrict the participation of the State of Israel.

“The United States will not stand by and allow the rampant antisemitism at the United Nations to go unchallenged,” said Senator Ricketts. “Downgrading Israel’s membership at the UN should be seen as an attack on an American ally. Should the UN embrace this diplomatic terrorism, the United States will respond accordingly and must end its support for the UN system.”

“Diminishing Israel’s status within the UN would be a slap in the face to democracies across the globe. It is shameful for an organization supposedly promoting international peace and security to punish a democracy fighting for survival,” said Senator Fischer. “The U.S. should not support any organization that attempts to restrict the participation of the State of Israel.”

“Any attempt to alter Israel’s status at the UN is clearly anti-Semitic,” said Senator Risch. “That said, if the UN member states allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to downgrade Israel’s status at the UN, the U.S. must stop supporting the UN system, as it would clearly be beyond repair. I am disgusted that this outrageous idea has even been discussed and will do all we can to ensure any changes to Israel’s status will come with consequences.”

Text of the legislation can be found here.

BACKGROUND

Recent reports indicate that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will attempt to downgrade Israel’s status at the UN. The PA can do this after the UN General Assembly passed a resolution which enhanced the PA’s status at the United Nations on May 10, 2024. The Stand with Israel Act would cut off U.S. funding to UN agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend, and restrict the participation of the State of Israel.