November 17, 2024 - WASHINGTON — Last Friday, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined the committee’s Ranking Member, Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Republican colleagues in introducing the Stand with Israel Act, legislation to cut off U.S. funding to United Nations (UN) agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend, or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel.

“The United Nations and its agencies are no strangers to compromising moral authority,” said Senator Tim Scott. “Any move to restrict Israel’s membership would be another shameful act of antisemitism and terrorist pandering. Not a single dime of U.S. taxpayer money should go to funding the UN’s cowardice.”

“Any attempt to alter Israel’s status at the UN is clearly antisemitic,” said Ranking Member Risch. “If UN member states allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to downgrade Israel’s status at the UN, the United States must stop supporting the UN system, as it would clearly be beyond repair. I am disgusted this outrageous idea has even been discussed, and will do all I can to ensure any changes to Israel’s status will come with consequences.”

BACKGROUND:

• Reports indicate that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will attempt to downgrade Israel’s status at the UN.
• The PA is able to do this after the UN General Assembly passed a biased 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, or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel. The bill is modeled after the current prohibition of funding to any UN entities that elevate the status of the Palestinian Authority to a member state. 

The full text of the Stand with Israel Act can be found here.

Senators Scott and Risch were joined by Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). This is companion legislation to bipartisan House bill HR 9374 led by U.S. Representative Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.).
Source: Senator Tim Scott