{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/news/press-releases/ricketts-fischer-risch-announce-plans-to-introduce-bill-to-end-u-s-funding-for-united-nations/", "Ricketts, Fischer, Risch Announce Plans to Introduce Bill to End U.S. Funding for United Nations", "2024-10-23", "2024", "2024-10", "Republican", "Senate", "NE", "Pete Ricketts", "R000618", "www.ricketts.senate.gov", "ricketts", "https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list&pagenum=", "scraper", "October 23, 2024\n\nOMAHA, NE \u2013 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.\n\n\u201cThe United States will not stand by and allow the rampant antisemitism at the United Nations to go unchallenged,\u201d said Senator Ricketts. \u201cDowngrading Israel\u2019s 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cDiminishing Israel\u2019s 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,\u201d said Senator Fischer. \u201cThe U.S. should not support any organization that attempts to restrict the participation of the State of Israel.\u201d\n\n\u201cAny attempt to alter Israel\u2019s status at the UN is clearly anti-Semitic,\u201d said Senator Risch. \u201cThat said, if the UN member states allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to downgrade Israel\u2019s 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\u2019s status will come with consequences.\u201d\n\nText of the legislation can be found here.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nRecent reports indicate that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will attempt to downgrade Israel\u2019s status at the UN. The PA can do this after the UN General Assembly passed a resolution which enhanced the PA\u2019s 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.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:55:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/news/press-releases/ricketts-fischer-risch-announce-plans-to-introduce-bill-to-end-u-s-funding-for-united-nations/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4725469518452883, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}