Earlier this week the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve H.R. 6018, the Department of State Authorization Act.  I was proud to vote NO on that bill, and I’d like to explain why.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), H.R. 6018 would cost nearly $16 billion to implement between fiscal years 2013 and 2017. Included in that bill is over $1.6 billion in U.S. taxpayer funding for the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations.  The bill also includes another $1.8 billion to support international ‘peacekeeping’ operations in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Liberia, West Africa, Sudan, East Timor, Cambodia, Western Sahara, Kosovo and Bosnia.

Unfortunately, the bill passed by a vote of 333 to 61.  It concerns me that only 60 of my colleagues joined me in voting no.   A roll call of the vote can be found here.

At this very moment the United Nations is considering numerous proposals that are detrimental to America and to freedom around the world.  One proposal would erode our right to keep and bear firearms which is enshrined in the Constitution’s Second Amendment.  Another would allow for regulation of the internet by undemocratic, unaccountable international bureaucrats.

At a time when the United States is well over $15 trillion in debt, it makes absolutely no sense to continue to give billions of American taxpayers’ hard earned dollars to the UN and the rest of the world.  It is imperative that we keep our money here and stop the wasteful deficit spending that is crippling our nation!

Thanks,

Walter