Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach

Back in December of last year I put up a post which said in its entirety:

Very short post. I read today that Palestine has been granted full member status in the UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. I also recall from a few years ago that when Palestine was admitted to UNESCO, the US had to cut off funds to UNESCO because of US law. As an article at the time said, this was the result of “US laws that force an automatic funding cutoff for any UN agency with Palestine as a member” … Do I see an opportunity for our lawmakers here? Yep. Will they act on it? Possibly not, but if it is indeed the law, seems like they could be forced to act … Best to all, and I do hope some organization with money and legal resources takes up this question. At least the US could stop pouring money down a rathole, even if the rest of the world continued the lunacy. w.

So as you might imagine, I was overjoyed today to read the following media release regarding a formal letter from a group of Senators to US Secretary of State John Kerry:

Senators to Sec. Kerry: U.S. Law Prohibits Sending U.S. Funds to U.N. Climate Convention UNFCCC granted full membership to the “State of Palestine”; current U.S. law prohibits taxpayer dollars from going to any such U.N. organization WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) led a group of 28 senators in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry demanding that the administration follow the law and prohibit funding for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its related entities. On March 17, 2016, the “State of Palestine” was allowed to become a full member of the UNFCCC. That action triggered a statutory restriction under the 1994 Foreign Relations Authorization Act that prohibits the U.S. government from providing taxpayer funds to affiliated organizations of the United Nations that grant full membership as a state to certain groups, like the Palestinians. As an affiliated organization to the United Nations, the UNFCCC and its related entities – including the Secretariat, the Conference of Parties, and the Green Climate Fund – are prohibited from receiving U.S. taxpayer funds. In their letter, the senators demand that no U.S. funds be given to the UNFCCC and its related entities after March 17, 2016. The senators also raise concerns about the inability of the United States to prevent the Palestinians from attempting to circumvent the peace process. “We request that you ensure that no disbursements of U.S. funds are made to the UNFCCC and its related entities after March 17, 2016. We believe that your failure to do so will constitute a violation of current law… We implore the administration to hold the Palestinians accountable for their actions in circumventing the peace process, and to abide by current law prohibiting U.S. taxpayer funds for the UNFCCC and its related entities and other UN affiliated organizations that recognize the ‘State of Palestine,’” the senators wrote. In addition to Senator Barrasso, the letter was signed by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Boozman (R-AR), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dan Coats (R-IN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Thune (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Pat Toomey (R-PA), David Vitter (R-LA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

The full letter is here, it’s worth a read. My profound thanks to the Senators involved.

A final plea. Do not allow the dreaded thread drift to convert this into a referendum on the Israel-Palestine perennial dispute—it won’t be solved here, and this thread is about climate funds. Let’s just be happy that we have a chance to waste less taxpayer money on the hydra-headed UN climate boondoggle …

Regards to all,

w.

My Usual Request: Confusion is a huge stumbling block, so if you disagree with me or anyone, please quote the exact words you disagree with so we can all understand your objections. I can defend my own words. I cannot defend someone else’s interpretation of some unidentified words of mine.

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