Trump budget cuts would hit UN, international agencies hard
WASHINGTON — The United Nations and dozens of its affiliated agencies are facing deep funding cuts and possibly an end to U.S. contributions, as the Trump administration seeks to slash billions of dollars from diplomacy and development assistance in next year’s budget.
Peacekeeping missions and international organizations that rely heavily on American financial contributions are reined in significantly in the White House’s proposal to reduce funding for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development by roughly 31 per cent in the next fiscal year. That’s in addition to dramatic cuts in U.S.-led health, development and climate change initiatives that will require other donors to fill the gaps.
Thursday’s proposal doesn’t spell out all details of the cuts. But it gives clues about which agencies and organizations will be affected, prompting a wide array of human rights groups, aid workers and lawmakers from both parties to voice objections.
Francois Delattre, the U.N. ambassador from U.S. ally France, was among the most outspoken, lamenting “America’s retreat and unilateralism.”