Since the founding of the United Nations eight decades ago, the U.S. has been the largest financier of the organization and its affiliated agencies, funds and programs. Year after year, American taxpayer dollars are sent virtually on autopilot, largely based on prior payments, with little scrutiny as to whether those payments serve American interests. That is about to change.
President Trump has a record of skepticism when it comes to international organizations. He called the U.N. a “club for people to get together, talk and have a good time” in 2016; a few months later, he chided it as an “underperformer” with huge potential. In 2017, Trump told the U.N. that “no nation should have to bear a disproportionate share of the burden, militarily or financially.”
But that criticism was balanced by a willingness to work with other governments to address U.S. concerns. For instance, Trump withdrew from the U.N. Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization after other governments rejected his calls for reforms. But he was happy to engage with the Universal Postal Union after it addressed his complaints about China’s abuse of shipping rules.
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Brett D. Schaefer 600
Brett D. Schaefer 600