S.Amdt. 1590

SA 1590. Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina (for himself and Mr. Cruz)
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1388
proposed by Mrs. Murray (for herself and Mr. Schumer) to the bill H.R.
815, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain
improvements relating to the eligibility of veterans to receive
reimbursement for emergency treatment furnished through the Veterans
Community Care program, and for other purposes; which was ordered to
lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ___. PREVENTING TERRORISM AT THE U.N. ACT OF 2024.

(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
``Preventing Terrorism at the U.N. Act of 2024''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (referred to in this
section as ``UNRWA'') was established through passage of
United Nations Resolution 302 (1949) to assist Arab refugees
who had been displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict.
(2) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(referred to in this section as ``UNHCR'') was established by
the United Nations General Assembly in 1950 to assist
refugees and other displaced persons, including internally
displaced persons, in all regions around the world.
(3) UNRWA is the only specialized agency or entity of the
United Nations with a sole conflict or regional mandate.
(4) For years, UNRWA has faced credible and corroborated
accusations of corruption, antisemitism, and support for
terrorism.
(5) Such accusations include the use of antisemitic
material in UNRWA classrooms and the use of UNWRA facilities
for the storage of munitions by Hamas, an Iranian-backed,
United States-designated foreign terrorist organization.
(6) On January 26, 2024, UNRWA terminated the contracts of
12 staff members who were accused of participating in Hamas'
brutal terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.
(7) The attacks of October 7, 2023, claimed the lives of
1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 35 citizens
of the United States, and resulted in the hostage taking of
240 Israelis and foreign nationals.
(8) The United States has contributed more than
$7,000,000,000 to UNRWA since 1949, making it the largest
individual donor to the agency.
(9) United States contributions to UNRWA were suspended
from 2018 through 2020, due to allegations of corruption,
antisemitism, and support for terrorism.
(10) The United States has provided more than $730,000,000
to UNRWA since United States contributions to the agency
resumed in 2021.
(11) Following the accusations of the involvement of UNRWA
staff in the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, the
Department of State announced the temporary suspension of
United States funding to UNRWA.
(12) Since January 26, 2024, more than sixteen additional
countries and the European Union have suspended their
contributions to UNRWA.
(13) While the majority of funding for UNRWA comes from
voluntary contributions, the agency receives a portion of its
funding from the regular budget of the United Nations.
(14) The estimated budget for the UNRWA for United Nations
fiscal year 2024 includes $55,176,800 from the regular budget
of the United Nations.
(15) The United States provides 22 percent of the regular
budget of the United Nations.
(c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the UNHCR should serve all global refugee and displaced
person populations, including those within the original
jurisdiction of the UNRWA.
(d) Prohibition on United States Contributions to the
United Nations.--No funds may be provided as a voluntary or
assessed contribution of the United States to the United
Nations, including any organ, agency, or entity of the United
Nations until--
(1) UNRWA is abolished;
(2) the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate
congressional committees that the that the United Nations has
completed appropriate counterterrorism vetting for all United
Nations employees and contractors operating in the original
jurisdiction of the UNRWA; and
(3) the Secretary of State certifies to the appropriate
congressional committees that the United Nations, including
staff and facilities receiving United Nations funding, do not
teach, promote, or include in materials, such as textbooks
and other instructional materials, any content that promotes
antisemitism or encourages violence or intolerance toward
other countries or ethnic groups.
(e) Transition Report.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit
to the appropriate congressional committees a report that--
(1) identifies the totality of services provided by UNRWA;
(2) details how such services will be absorbed by existing
United Nations funds, programs, specialized agencies, and
organizations;
(3) details how such services may be absorbed through
bilateral assistance;
(4) includes a plan to ensure all United Nations funds,
programs, specialized agencies, and organizations implement
and maintain stringent counterterrorism vetting standards;
and
(5) includes a plan to ensure all United Nations funds,
programs, specialized agencies, and organizations implement
and maintain stringent oversight of educational material and
curriculum that prohibits all content that promotes
antisemitism or encourages violence or intolerance toward
other countries or ethnic groups.
(f) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
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