Following the peaceful transfer of power from President Barack Obama to President Donald Trump on Saturday, one Alabama Congressman’s call for the U.S. to withdraw from the United Nations is gaining renewed attention.
Rep. Mike Rogers has again introduced the “American Sovereignty Restoration Act,” which seeks to repeal the United Nations Participation Act of 1945. It would prohibit federal dollars to be given to the U.N. for any purpose and would terminate any military or peacekeeping mission agreements. Additionally, the proposal would force the U.N. to relocate out of the country.
Currently, the diplomatic body is headquartered in New York.
“The United Nations (including any organ, specialized agency, commission or other formally affiliated body of the United Nations) may not occupy or use any property or facility of the United States Government,” the resolution says.
President Donald Trump has referred to the U.N. as “a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time,” and promised that American involvement in the organization would look vastly different under his presidency. As he has already begun taking quick action on many of his campaign promises, some believe that Rogers’ bill could gain momentum soon.
Rep. Rogers has long criticized the nation’s commitment to the institution and has worked for years to facilitate an exit. He recently pointed to the United Nations’ actions against Israel as further validation for the move.
“The U.N. has attempted a number of actions which aimed to encroach on the rights granted to U.S. citizens under our Constitution,” Rogers told AL.com. “Most recently, the U.N. Security Council sided with Palestine and passed a resolution condemning Israel’s settlements in Jerusalem. Attacks against one of the United States’ greatest allies are just the most recent chapter in the U.N.’s dangerous agenda. I believe our involvement in the U.N. is a waste of taxpayer dollars.”
So far, the bill has received six other co-sponsors, including including Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, North Carolina Rep. Walter B. Jones, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz , Missouri Rep. Jason Smith, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, and Tennessee Rep. John Duncan, Jr.
Removal from the United Nations has also garnered the support of other key lawmakers on Capitol Hill, like Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
“I dislike paying for something that two-bit Third World countries with no freedom attack us and complain about the United States,” Paul once said. “There’s a lot of reasons why I don’t like the U.N., and I think I’d be happy to dissolve it.”
