Lawmaker: Withhold US money to force UN changes

The head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee says the U.S. should withhold money from the United Nations to force changes at the world body.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (ih-lay-AH'-nah rahs LAY'-tih-nehn) of Florida described her plan at the start of a hearing with the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice.

Ros-Lehtinen plans to introduce a bill next week to make U.S. payments to the U.N. voluntary.

The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Howard Berman of California, says withholding U.S. dues doesn't work and he says it would weaken the U.S. diplomatically.

The U.S. is the largest single contributor to the U.N., responsible for 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 27 percent of the money for peacekeeping operations.