Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have engaged in a heated battle of words over a recent UN Special Rapporteur report condemning the rate of poverty in the United States.
In a letter obtained by The Daily Caller sent to Sanders Thursday, Haley called the UN Special Rapporteurs economic condemnation of the United States “an all too common example of the misplaced priorities and poor use of funds proven to be rampant throughout the UN system.”
Haley said “it is patently ridiculous for the United Nations to examine poverty in America.”
She also tacked on a few examples of extreme poverty in other nations.
“According to the World Bank, in Burundi, the gross national income per person is $280,” Haley said. “In the Democratic Republic of Congo, over 60% of the entire population lives in grinding poverty.”
The UN ambassador also added that the Special Rapporteur “is an independent individual whose reports are not endorsed by the United Nations” and that he “made the conscious choice to visit the United States rather than visiting the poorest countries in the world.”
In response to Haleys letter, Sanders, an admitted socialist, released another letter Thursday in which he stated, “As it happens, I personally believe that it is totally appropriate for the UN Special Rapporteur to focus on poverty in the United States.”
A scathing UN report released last week condemned the U.S. for its economic circumstances, claiming the “United States is a land of stark contrasts” and “its immense wealth and expertise stand in shocking contrast with the conditions in which vast numbers of its citizens live.”
Last week, Sens. Sanders and Warren sent a letter to Haley following the Special Rapporteurs scathing report of the U.S. poverty rate, saying the U.S. “must recognize health care as a human right” and that they “agree with the Special Rapporteur that with political will, [extreme poverty] could readily be eliminated.'”
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