Guest essay by Eric Worrall
h/t Breitbart – According to http://foreignpolicy.com, the Trump White House has ordered the State Department to cut at least 50% of US contributions to the United Nations.
EXCLUSIVE White House Seeks to Cut Billions in Funding for United Nations
U.S. retreat from U.N. could mark a “breakdown of the international humanitarian system as we know it.”
State Department staffers have been instructed to seek cuts in excess of 50 percent in U.S. funding for U.N. programs, signaling an unprecedented retreat by President Donald Trump’s administration from international operations that keep the peace, provide vaccines for children, monitor rogue nuclear weapons programs, and promote peace talks from Syria to Yemen, according to three sources.
The push for such draconian measures comes as the White House is scheduled on Thursday to release its 2018 budget proposal, which is expected to include cuts of up to 37 percent for spending on the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign assistance programs, including the U.N., in next year’s budget. The United States spends about $10 billion a year on the United Nations.
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The cuts would fall heaviest on U.N. programs, like peacekeeping, UNICEF, and the U.N. Development Programme, that are funded out of the budget of the State Department’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs. It remains to be seen whether other U.N. agencies popular with Congress, like the World Food Programme and U.N. refugee operations — which are funded out of separate accounts in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State Department, respectively — will get hit as hard. But one source tracking the budget proposal said the Trump administration is considering cuts of up to 36 percent on humanitarian aid programs.
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The United States has to pay just over 22 percent of the U.N.’s $2.5 billion administrative budget. Additionally, Washington pays billions of dollars for peacekeepers and helps underwrite a swath of other programs that fight hunger, settle refugees, and battle climate change.
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Read more: http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/13/white-house-seeks-to-cut-billions-in-funding-for-united-nations/
There are no details of specific cuts to UN Climate Change programmes, but it seems likely they will be cut.
My question – why not cut 100%? How does anonymising aid money through the UN bureaucracy benefit US taxpayers? If a country wants to receive the generosity of United States, say to help with resolving a crisis, the leader of that country should appeal in public, in person to President Trump, so the whole world knows where the aid money is coming from.
A great opportunity for China to extend their influence.
Agree. Cut the lot.
Sign me up. For many years I thought the UN was a flawed but nessecary organization. It has taken awhile but the nessecary part of that equation is gone. Like its predecessor the League of Nations the UN has outlived its usefulness.
Although many news reports will focus on refugee programs, food aid, and peacekeeping operations those are only
window dressing for less popular projects. Globaloney is the U.N. house speciality. Like
the EU the UN is a workaround solution for programs that won’t pass democratic
processes.
Going to a Trump rally in Nashville this
afternoon. Should be lots of protestors and a
general circus atmosphere. Let them squeal. Once the money runs dry they will focus on doing something productive with their lives.
Eric:
“…so the whole world knows where the aid money is coming from.”
Most of the USAID programs that provide advisors, food and material to
targeted countries are clearly and unambiguously marked “U.S.A.” in
some way or form.
USAID has traditionally provides eyes and feet on the ground in sensitive
regions providing information that feeds back to various US agencies without
involving overt military or diplomatic personnel activities.
Is there any part of the President’s budget proposal that cuts funding to
the “dark” or black ops agencies?
“Once the money runs dry they will focus on doing something productive with their lives.”
Doubt it. Far more likely they’ll attach their lamprey mouths to the next succulent victim.
I wish Australia would do the same. It annoys me that the few western nations that fund you UN are constantly being attacked and degraded by the parasitic multitude that contribute nothing but enjoy the bureaucratic largesse of the UN. A reduced budget may see the UN restrict it’s activity to the most important issues; sharpen it’s focus.
Why not cut all 100% and directly provide relief for the famine in Africa. Quicker, better, more focussed
$2.5 Billion administrative costs…$2,500,000,000.00.
Another mini empire … I would like to see where that money actually goes
Reblogged this on Climatism and commented:
“My question – why not cut 100%?”
Exactly. And maybe then the CO2-obsessed, fear mongering, climate fragile and unelected UN might consider how it spends other people’s hard earned money. Like jetting 40,000 elites to exotic destinations every year to gabble over “climate” catastrophe. Hypocrites.
A year ago the Canadian PM Trudeau pledged $2.5 billion to the UN so they can continue with their limo rides, gourmet meals and six figure salaries….I mean to save the planet, that’s right, how silly of me.
Bravo!!! Bravo!!! Bravo!!! He should also start a “League of Freedom” that only includes freedom loving democratically based societies. The problem with the UN is that it doesn’t make any distinction between tyrants and democratic republics. They make moral equivalencies between N Korea and the US.
Also, the UN abused its position and attempted to use this climate change as a ruse to redistribute the wealth of the developed world to the undeveloped world. It basically is a criminal looting organization whose efforts were almost always anti-US and freedom.
Climate “Science” on Trial; How Does Ice Melt In Sub-Zero Temperatures?
https://co2islife.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/climate-science-on-trial-how-does-ice-melt-in-sub-zero-temperatures/
Climate “Science” on Trial; The Criminal Case Against the Alarmists
https://co2islife.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/climate-science-on-trial-the-criminal-case-against-the-alarmists/
a “breakdown of the international humanitarian system as we know it.”
Always look for the positive folks – cut wastage and do what you have to if you really believe in “humanitarianism”. In adversity work harder for what you believe in UN guys!!!
Let use them Kickstarter or better DonorSee.
If Taxpayers like UN, they can keep it, but by voluntary means.
There is every reason to move the UN out of the USA and into a country in Africa or Asia. I suggest South Africa.
Still not tired of winning, but I will hold back my cheers until we see some results.
I know most people here will disagree with me, but the predicted decline in supranational organizations is not a good omen. We are going back to the same old national level that has not given such a good result. Most people assume that war between developed heavily armed nations is a thing of the past. That assumption was also made in the 1920’s, and it tends to be wrong. Another observation is that people are usually not very happy with their governments when things are not going well, and the next global crisis is likely to see a lot of that since we did not recover well from the previous one, and a lot more people is now more vulnerable.
This may help moderate congestion on the Upper East Side. Have you ever counted the number of Town Cars with the diplo-plates that always seem to be illegally parked right in front of boutique or restaurant?
Ahh the good old UN.
The organisation that takes on world problems which are in a disastrous state and makes them infinitely worse.
UNEXIT.
To the fear or even fear of the possibility that China will gain influence: so what? The Chinese have risen in stature on the strength of thier economy. Period. If they choose to fritter away resources on the UN let them. Our focus in the US is on raising our standard of living and quality of life. We are taking on some of the systemic issues that have been allowed to fester because they require making
choices.
There are those in the US who cherish playing an important role on the international stage. Others seem to like playing saviour and still others enjoy the US being a patsy. Let us build our country, extend a friendly hand to our actual friends; and keep a sharp eye on those with ill intent. Lead by good example rather than yapping about it. We will be fine.
“State Department staffers have been instructed to seek cuts in excess of 50 percent in U.S. funding for U.N. programs,”
Don’t get your hopes up. The statement above suggests that only elements of UN funding will be cut by over 50%. Which could mean a couple of initiatives, not the entire budget.
The UN is a legacy institution founded at the close of WWII to cement the hegemony of the victorious “Allied” powers in the aftermath of war. There is little upside for the US to withdraw from the UN. But we surely don’t have to bankroll an institution that many times works contrary to our national interest. The US has a lot of power with its permanent seat on the security council and our veto. We need to hang on to the power where it helps us and we need to defund paying for activities that are against our national interests. We certainly don’t want to fund the Climate Change/Sustainable Development nonsense that the UN programs constantly spew.
It is unwise to walk away from the political part of the UN. It is important the US participates to protect its interests.
The food programs will continue. Those are really subsidies to US farmers.
Thank goodness. These UN weasels have have had their sights set on diminishing the U.S. in almost every way possible(bogus global warming regs etc) for decades now.
When someone tries to do something actually useful, it is the job of the UN bureaucracy to make sure they are stopped. From 2001 until 2006, Stephen Lewis worked as United Nations UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. In a radio interview he described how the bureaucrats outflanked him and prevented any action that might have improved the plight of the Africans.
Back in the 1950s the UN might have been driven by idealism and hope. Now it is dominated by cynicism. It is a great example of The Iron Law of Bureaucracy and mission creep.
Most of the humanitarian groups are fronts to be honest. Even Vaccine programs, as recently exposed the CIA was running a fake vaccine program.
NED are purely infiltration of foreign states as are many other orgs like Hand in Hand with Syria (UK) and The White Helmets which are meant to be an NGO but are funded to the tune of millions by the UK and US even though they are in fact a terrorist linked entity.
Even more UN funding goes toward stealing the sovereignty from US voters. Ask any farmer.
Many other UN humanitarian groups are nothing other than fronts to fund despots who use said aid to leverage events at home, like using food to force people to move lands, and line the pockets of cronies.
The UN should be dismantled, it is not doing what it was created for, it is a thing unto itself and is cooped by lefty crack pot socialists and literally communists
There is too much corruption in the UN to maintain any level of support. They needed to be good stewards of the gifts from the American people and they weren’t. There is no accountability. There is plenty of need in this country for those funds.