The incoming Republican chairwoman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday identified U.S. funding of the United Nations as a target. The comments are likely to send a chill through supporters of the Obama administration’s policy of deeper engagement with the U.N.
“I plan on using U.S. contributions to international organizations as leverage to press for real reform of those organizations, such as the United Nations,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said after GOP lawmakers confirmed she will chair the committee in the next Congress.
The Florida Republican also has her sights set on the administration’s budgets for the State Department and foreign aid.
“There is much fat in these budgets, which makes some cuts obvious,” she said. “Others will be more difficult but necessary to improve the efficiency of U.S. efforts and accomplish more with less.
“We must shift our foreign aid focus from failed strategies rooted in an archaic post-WWII approach that, in some instances, perpetuates corrupt governments, to one that reflects current realities and challenges and empowers grassroots and civil society.”
In her role as ranking minority member of the Foreign Affairs Committee since 2007, Ros-Lehtinen has been a vocal critic of repressive and corrupt regimes, with Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea and the Palestinian Authority frequent targets.
She is an outspoken supporter of Israel, a strong advocate of tough sanctions against Iran and opposes calls to end the embargo of communist-ruled Cuba. (Ros-Lehtinen was born in Havana in 1952 and moved with her family to the U.S. when Fidel Castro seized power seven years later.)
“My worldview is clear,” she said Wednesday. “Isolate and hold our enemies accountable, while supporting and strengthening our allies. I support strong sanctions and other penalties against those who aid violent extremists, brutalize their own people, and have time and time again rejected calls to behave as responsible nations. Rogue regimes never respond to anything less than hardball.”
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“I plan on using U.S. contributions to international organizations as leverage to press for real reform of those organizations, such as the United Nations,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said after GOP lawmakers confirmed she will chair the committee in the next Congress.
The Florida Republican also has her sights set on the administration’s budgets for the State Department and foreign aid.
“There is much fat in these budgets, which makes some cuts obvious,” she said. “Others will be more difficult but necessary to improve the efficiency of U.S. efforts and accomplish more with less.
“We must shift our foreign aid focus from failed strategies rooted in an archaic post-WWII approach that, in some instances, perpetuates corrupt governments, to one that reflects current realities and challenges and empowers grassroots and civil society.”
In her role as ranking minority member of the Foreign Affairs Committee since 2007, Ros-Lehtinen has been a vocal critic of repressive and corrupt regimes, with Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea and the Palestinian Authority frequent targets.
She is an outspoken supporter of Israel, a strong advocate of tough sanctions against Iran and opposes calls to end the embargo of communist-ruled Cuba. (Ros-Lehtinen was born in Havana in 1952 and moved with her family to the U.S. when Fidel Castro seized power seven years later.)
“My worldview is clear,” she said Wednesday. “Isolate and hold our enemies accountable, while supporting and strengthening our allies. I support strong sanctions and other penalties against those who aid violent extremists, brutalize their own people, and have time and time again rejected calls to behave as responsible nations. Rogue regimes never respond to anything less than hardball.”
More here
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