U.S. President-elect Donald Trump named New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, elevating a loyal ally to a key diplomatic post despite her meager foreign policy experience.
The incoming Trump administration is likely to slash funding for the cash-strapped world body, which relies on the U.S. as the single-biggest financial contributor. During Trump's first term, he consistently proposed major decreases in U.N. funding and withheld contributions to some agencies.
Trump announced on Monday his choice of Stefanik, a harsh critic of the world body and a staunch defender of Israel. The nomination requires U.S. Senate approval but is expected to face little resistance.
“Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart 'America First' fighter,” Trump said of Stefanik, who was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 2014. "She will be an incredible ambassador to the United Nations, delivering peace through strength and 'America First' national security policies!"
Trump's Republican Party won control of the Senate in the Nov. 5 general election and could wind up with control of the U.S. House of Representative once all the votes are counted.
Stefanik is poised to succeed U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a veteran diplomat, former assistant secretary of state for Africa, and member of U.S. President Joe Biden's Cabinet.
Trump said he also is making Stefanik's appointment at the White House Cabinet level. She has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Israel in the U.S. Congress and has repeatedly accused the United Nations of antisemitism.
She argued last month for a “complete reassessment" of U.S. funding of the United Nations” after the Palestinian Authority tried to have Israel expelled from the world body because of human rights abuses in Gaza.
She also has supported blocking U.S. funding for UNRWA, the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees.
In 2022, only 17% of U.S. contributions were mandatory
The U.N.'s approved regular budget is US$3.6 billion, which member nations are required to help fund. The U.S. is assessed to pay 22%, the highest of any U.N. member, followed by China, 15.25%, and Japan, 8.03%. However, the U.S. often accumulates arrears to the U.N. regular budget and other U.N. bodies.
The second mandatory cost of U.N. membership is the US$6.1 billion peacekeeping budget. The U.S. peacekeeping assessment is 26.94%, however, the U.S. Congress capped the U.S. contribution at 25%. The next highest assessment rates are for China, 18.69%, and Japan, 8.03%.
Many member nations also make voluntary contributions to specific U.N. programs, and U.S. President Joe Biden restored hundreds of millions of dollars of funding that was cut under Trump's first term.
Under Biden's administration, the U.S. contributed more than US$18 billion in 2022, or one-third of the funding for the world body’s collective budget.
