Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The United States is cutting its contribution to the United Nations to about $2 billion for humanitarian aid in 2026, leaving a gap unlikely to be filled.
The United States has historically been the biggest contributor to U.N. humanitarian aid funding, accounting for up to about one-third of its total funding. The $2 billion figure announced by the White House is a sharp decline from the more than $10 billion the United States usually contributes, giving as much as $18 billion in 2022.
President Donald Trump has been critical of the United Nations and its member countries for the amount of funding the United States has given. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a press release in December that Trump is leading a "humanitarian reset" by reducing the United States' voluntary contribution.
"Yes, as President Trump has made clear, the U.N. has increasingly failed to live up to its promise," the statement said. "While annual U.S. contributions to the U.N. have skyrocketed in recent years -- many U.N. bodies have abandoned their mission of promoting global pace and security -- too often espousing radical social ideologies, acting to undermine American interests and values."
