"Last week, conservatives introduced legislation to address two pressing concerns involving international organizations: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) authored legislation combatting pernicious Chinese influence in the United Nations system. Also, Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced bills ensuring that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) does not promote extremism. The Biden administration has acknowledged the need to address both concerns, so this should be an opportunity for a collaborative effort. Unfortunately, the administration seems uninterested in working with conservatives even when interests converge.
The prospects for cooperation looked good earlier this year. During her confirmation hearing for U.S. Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield pledged to combat Chinese influence noting, 'We know China is working across the UN system to drive an authoritarian agenda that stands in opposition to the founding values of the institution—American values.'
On UNRWA, Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Congress in June that the administration was determined to 'pursue very necessary reforms in terms of some of the abuses of the system that have taken place in the past, particularly the challenge that we’ve seen in disseminating in its educational products antisemitic or anti-Israel information.'
However, the administration’s efforts thus far seem not to have borne fruit.
President Joe Biden reversed former President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization and promised to 'strengthen and reform the WHO.' While the WHO Director-General expressed support for a follow-up investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, no meaningful steps have been taken to hold China accountable for its rejection of such an investigation. Nor has there been any concrete action to reform the organization.
Likewise, the Biden administration has pressed forward on renewed UNRWA funding despite the continued inclusion of anti-Semitic material in UNRWA textbooks and evidence of UNRWA teachers promoting extremism..."