The Cuban-born Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a true friend of Israel.

(Politico) — If the State Department has designs on reversing Monday’s decision to stop funding the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, officials there should forget about it, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said Tuesday.

After UNESCO voted to induct the Palestinian Authority as a member in Paris early Monday, the State Department announced it would comply with an existing law requiring the U.S. to pull funding for international organizations that allow entry to the Palestinians.

Despite the announcement, the State Department and the White House are strong supporters of UNESCO’s mission, and State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland suggested that the administration might work with Congress to rewrite the law.

“We have to work with Congress because these are legislative constraints,” Nuland told reporters at a Monday briefing. “If we are going to move forward in a legislative way, we have to gain their support.”

Not so fast, Ros-Lehtinen said Tuesday.

“Already, the Administration appears to be seeking loopholes, and the UN’s apologists are out in full force with doomsday rhetoric urging a change to the law that would allow payments to continue to flow to UN entities that admit ‘Palestine.’ Congress’s response must be a resounding ‘No,’” she said in a statement. “Any effort to walk back U.S. law would send the damaging message that the U.S. will keep paying for UN bodies no matter what they do. We do not strengthen our leadership and influence internationally by demonstrating that there are no consequences for UN actions that undermine peace and security.”