It’s about time.
On Sunday, the Trump administration announced a significant reduction in funding to the United Nations. It’s yet another step towards limiting our involvement with the international body.
While the left will likely lose their collective minds, those who see the UN for what it is will be satisfied with the decision. For decades, the United States has squandered billions of dollars by giving it to an international body that actively works against our interests.
If President Trump truly wants to put America first, we must continue to limit our involvement in the UN This move will bring us closer to accomplishing that goal.
The US Will Cut Funding to the United Nations Next Year
HaleyOn Sunday, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley announced that the United States would cut its funding to the United Nations by $250 million. This move comes in the aftermath of the UN’s vote against the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The decision to cut funding to the UN was likely made before the controversial vote, but it still underscores the United States’ stance on the UN’s approach to Israel. Currently, the United States provides $1.2 billion in funding to the UN, which makes up about 22% of the international body’s budget. The U.S. also provides about 28% of the UN’s peacekeeping budget.
According to Fox News, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed a total cut to the UN’s 2016 – 2017 budget of $200 million. The UN’s peacekeeping budget was also slashed by $600 million due to pressure from President Donald Trump.
Nikki Haley’s Statement on the UN
In a statement released last Sunday, Ambassador Nikki Haley stated that one of the reasons for the reduction is the UN’s mismanagement of funding. “The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known,” she wrote. “We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked.”
Haley also indicated that the United States “reduced the UN’s bloated management and support functions, bolstered support for key U.S. priorities throughout the world, and instilled more discipline and accountability throughout the UN system.” This reduction in funding is likely to be one of the many ways the United States will separate from the United Nations.
The United States Should Continue to Distance Itself from the United Nations
Putting some distance between our country and the United Nations is the right move. While the United Nations began as an organization designed to benefit the rest of the world, it has transformed into something far different from its original purpose.
The UN purports to be a force that defends human rights and helps people suffering oppression, but the reality is that many of the countries who have enjoyed prominent positions on UN councils have been some of the worst human rights abusers. It isn’t difficult to see that these nations are not committed to easing the pain of those who experience persecution and other types of oppression.
Additionally, it seems bashing Israel has become one of the United Nations’ most pressing items on its agenda. Over the past decade, the security council, general assembly, as well as other branches of the UN have passed resolution after resolution condemning the Jewish state while largely ignoring the actual misdeeds of regimes that are far more destructive.
In 2016, the UN General Assembly passed 20 resolutions condemning Israel. How many rebuked other nations? A whopping six countries received the general assembly’s ire in 2016. These included Syria, North Korea, and Crimea. Yes, that’s right, the UN thinks Israel is worthier of condemnation than North Korea, whose government deliberately starves their citizens, regulates their speech, and keeps them in prison-like conditions.
It is clear that the United Nations’ objectives no longer line up with the United States’. Therefore, there is no real reason to continue to support them. Giving funding to an organization that works against our interests is wasteful and unwise. It’s the type of mistake that led to the U.S. electing a president who promised to put America first.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration drafted an executive order that would limit our funding to the UN and other international organizations. While the president has not signed this yet, it appears he is nonetheless committed to using our money and resources more wisely. Last week, he threatened to remove financial aid to countries that voted in favor of the UN resolution urging the U.S. to reverse its decision on Jerusalem.
The United States must ensure that we aren’t funding organizations whose interests are at cross purposes with our own. Not only is this a waste of resources, but it could also hamper our ability to make decisions that benefit America. Perhaps this reduction in funding will be another step towards making our exit from the United Nations.
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