President Donald Trump is making waves on the global stage, taking a hammer to the liberal infrastructure of the United Nations. Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at pulling the United States out of several UN agencies and slashing American funding to what he calls “anti-American, anti-Israel, and ideologically leftist” bodies.
“I’ve always felt that the UN has tremendous potential. It’s not living up to that potential right now… it hasn’t for a long time,” Trump said at the signing.
The move builds on Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council and now goes much further, targeting agencies he believes are wasting American taxpayer money and promoting ideologies the American people did not vote for.
Programs on the Chopping Block
Here’s a breakdown of what the U.S. is walking away from and how much money will be withheld:
1. United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
Annual U.S. Contribution: Approx. $10–15 million
Trump ordered the United States to withdraw permanently from the UNHRC. He directed that all U.S. offices supporting the council be closed, and no American funds be used to cover the U.S. share of its annual UN budget allocation. The Council has long been criticized for allowing nations with egregious human rights records—like China, Venezuela, and Iran—to not only sit on the council but use it to attack Israel.
“The so-called Human Rights Council is an anti-American, pro-Beijing body… it needs a full demolition,” said David May of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Annual U.S. Contribution: Approx. $344 million (nearly 30% of UNRWA’s budget)
UNRWA will no longer receive any funding. The agency was already under fire after reports that multiple employees participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Trump’s executive order makes the ban permanent. UNRWA has also been criticized for perpetuating refugee status across generations and embedding antisemitism into its education programs.
“UNRWA is a front for Hamas that raises Palestinians to hate Jews and Israel,” said Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor at FDD.
3. UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Annual U.S. Contribution: Up to $80 million (historical levels before prior defunding)
While the U.S. has already had a complicated history with UNESCO, Trump has ordered a full review of whether the organization should continue receiving American support at all. The review will focus on its bias against Israel and ideological tilt.
Review of All International Organizations Underway
Perhaps most significantly, Trump’s order mandates a comprehensive 180-day review of all 179 international organizations the U.S. currently funds. In fiscal year 2022 alone, the U.S. sent over $21 billion to these groups—many of which push diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, climate change activism, gender ideology, and anti-American propaganda.
Among the programs Trump is now scrutinizing:
- UN Population Fund, defunded in 2017, promotes abortion access and DEI
- International Labor Organization, which funds LGBT job training in Brazil
- UN Development Program, which runs “Being LGBTI in the Caribbean”
- Global Environment Facility, linked to overlapping climate initiatives
- UN Peacekeeping Forces, often accused of shielding terror groups like Hezbollah
Only a fraction of U.S. international funding is legally required by treaty. Most of it—especially the funds for ideological programming—is voluntary. Trump’s strategy is to eliminate this soft funding first and pursue withdrawal from the core organizations through treaty review.
‘America First’ Goes Global
This policy shift is not just about saving money. It is a calculated extension of Trump’s “America First” doctrine into foreign policy. Trump is signaling that the U.S. will no longer bankroll ideologically hostile bureaucracies. If an agency promotes progressive causes abroad that would never survive a vote in Congress—abortion access, radical climate policy, or DEI offices—the U.S. will no longer pay the bill.
“Why should we pay people who aren’t even Americans to promote things our own government wouldn’t fund?” asked a Trump administration source. “This is about sovereignty.”
Trump is also positioning these cuts as a warning to the UN itself: reform or lose America’s money. The United States has always been the largest single donor to the UN system. But Trump is making clear that those days are over unless the organization starts reflecting American values, not just elite globalist agendas.
This is not a one-off move. Trump’s executive order creates a pathway for permanent defunding. By cutting ties through formal withdrawals and denying reentry under treaty law, he’s hoping to make it harder for future Democratic presidents to restore funding with the stroke of a pen.
One of the biggest targets ahead? UN Peacekeeping Missions, which cost the U.S. over $1.5 billion a year. Trump is expected to veto future missions in places like Lebanon and Western Sahara, where the UN has allegedly shielded enemies of the U.S. and Israel.
Whether these moves draw global outrage or set off a wave of overdue reform, one thing is clear: Trump is taking the fight to the heart of the global bureaucracy, and he’s bringing America’s wallet with him.
