Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump
US looking to close UN money tap
The Trump administration's State Department are looking into possible deep cuts in US funding for UN programs.
Published: March 14, 2017, 11:50 am
Washington
US disentanglement from international operations is expected to include cuts of up to 37 percent for spending on the State Department, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign assistance programs, including the UN on which the United States spends about $10 billion a year.
The White House on Thursday will release its 2018 budget proposal, and rumours are that the cuts could be phased in over the coming three years as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has proposed.
On March 9 in New York, US diplomats warned key UN members, in a closed-door meeting that money would be drying up. Wealthy donors from Europe, Japan, and South Korea, were told to “expect a big financial constraint” on US spending at the UN, but no figures were given.
The cuts would impact on so-called “peacekeeping”, UNICEF, the UN Development Programme, and perhaps the World Food Programme and UN refugee operations with one source saying that the Trump administration is considering cuts of up to 36 percent on humanitarian aid programs, CNN reported.
Richard Gowan, from the European Council on Foreign Relations, said cuts would create “chaos” for liberal interventionists. “Multiply that across other humanitarian agencies, like the World Food Programme, and you are basically talking about the breakdown of the international humanitarian system as we know it,” he said.
Late last month, the Trump administration said the cuts would help offset a projected $54 billion increase in defense spending, disproportionately affecting spending on the United Nations.
Less money would make Nikki Haley’s task as US. ambassador to the United Nations, much more difficult. Haley repeatedly cautioned against “slash-and-burn cuts” during her Senate confirmation hearing.
The United States pays 22 percent of the UN’s administrative budget. Additionally, Washington pays billions of dollars for peacekeeping as well as other programs in addressing hunger, refugees, and climate change.
If Washington fails to honor its funding commitments to the UN budget, which is obligatory, it could lose its voting rights in the General Assembly.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Americas
Ohio disaster: When hedge funds manage rail traffic
East PalestineAfter the derailment of a freight train loaded with highly toxic chemicals in the US state of Ohio, a devastating environmental catastrophe may now be imminent. The wagons burned for days, and a "controlled" explosion by the authorities released dangerous gases into the environment.
US President Biden orders ‘spy’ balloon to be shot down
WashingtonThe US President gave the order to shoot down China's "spy balloon". The balloon had caused US Secretary of State Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing. In the meantime, a second balloon was sighted.
US is heading for a financial ‘catastrophe’ US Treasury Secretary warns
WashingtonOn January 19, 2023, the United States hit its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion. The country faces a recession if it defaults on its debt, the US Treasury Secretary warned in an interview. Her warning underscored the danger of printing money.
Gun violence: More risk in Chicago and Philadelphia than Iraq, Afghanistan
Providence, Rhode IslandA striking statistic: young Americans are several times more likely to be injured by a gun in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia than they are while serving as a soldier in a foreign country.
Elon Musk, the first person in history to destroy $200 billion in a year
Never before in human history has a person lost as much money in one year as Elon Musk did in 2022. The Tesla and Twitter boss lost $200 billion last year. However, with his remaining $137 billion, he is still the second richest person in the world.
Extreme cold and winter storms sweep across US
More than a million households without electricity, thousands of canceled flights, temperatures in the double-digit minus range and already 41 fatalities: The US is being overwhelmed by an enormous cold wave.
Soros sponsors violent leftists and anti-police lobby as US crime surges
WashingtonThe mega-speculator and "philanthropist" George Soros remains true to himself – he has been sponsoring anti-police left-wing groups with billions of dollars.
FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrested after crypto billions go missing
NassauHe is no longer sitting in his fancy penthouse, but in a cell in the Bahamas: Sam Bankman-Fried (30), founder of the crypto company FTX, is said to be responsible for the theft of 37 billion euros. An interesting fact is that media in the EU have so far kept this crime thriller almost completely secret.
How Twitter helped Biden win the US presidency
WashingtonThe short message service Twitter massively influenced the US presidential election campaign two years ago in favor of the then candidate Joe Biden. The then incumbent Donald Trump ultimately lost the election. Internal e-mails that the new owner, Elon Musk, has now published on the short message service show how censorship worked on Twitter. The 51-year-old called it the “Twitter files”.
Alberta PM suspends cooperation with WEF
EdmontonThe newly elected Premier Danielle Smith of the province of Alberta in Canada has recently made several powerful statements against the globalist foundation World Economic Forum and its leader Klaus Schwab. She has also decided to cancel a strange consulting agreement that WEF had with the state.
