US TO SLASH $285 MILLION FROM UN FUNDING
Ambassador Haley touts historic reduction in U.N. spending
Dan Lyman
The United States will reduce its funding of the United Nations by $285 million for the coming fiscal year, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley has announced.
An official statement released by the United States Mission to the United Nations broke the news on Christmas Eve.
“Today, the United Nations agreed on a budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Among a host of other successes, the United States negotiated a reduction of over $285 million off the 2016-2017 final budget. In addition to these significant cost savings, we 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.”
The declaration included comments from Ambassador Haley.
“The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known,” she said. “We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked. This historic reduction in spending – in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable UN – is a big step in the right direction. While we are pleased with the results of this year’s budget negotiations, you can be sure we’ll continue to look at ways to increase the UN’s efficiency while protecting our interests.”
The announcement comes immediately after U.N. member nations voted overwhelmingly to condemn the United States’ decision to relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, officially recognizing Jerusalem as the nation’s capital.
Ambassador Haley blasted the U.N. General Assembly over the vote, vowing consequences in response.
“The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation,” Haley said. “We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution to the United Nations and we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.”
President Trump also weighed in on the resolution in the lead-up to the vote.
“They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care,” Trump said.
In December of 2016, then-President Elect Trump foreshadowed a shake-up in relations between the U.S. and U.N.
“As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th,” Trump tweeted.
Donald J. Trump tweeted ;
✔
@realDonaldTrump
As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th.
12:14 PM - Dec 23, 2016
14,585 14,585 Replies 32,715 32,715 Retweets 94,942 94,942 likes
The U.S. currently provides about 22 percent of the U.N. budget to the tune of approximately $3.3 billion per year.