Better World Campaign President Peter Yeo Responds to the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026
Every President of the United States has the privilege and responsibility of shaping the nation’s priorities through the presentation of a federal budget – a blueprint for how to keep our nation healthy, strong, prosperous and safe.
We know that active investment in the United Nations achieves those goals by leveraging alliances that magnify our impact, sharing the cost of global issues that threaten our shores and providing a forum to solve global problems.
The toplines of the recently released federal budget proposal puts those benefits at grave risk. Overall, the Administration proposes a severe 83% overall funding cut if rescissions and eliminations are included.
UN-related provisions include the following:
- No funding for the UN Regular Budget, meaning that the U.S. would not pay its dues. If this pause is maintained, the U.S. may eventually lose its right to vote in the UN General Assembly.
- No funding for UN Peacekeeping, a proven method for mitigating conflicts. Peacekeeping saves U.S taxpayer dollars and is a key resource in the fight against terrorism. As it stands, recent cuts to peacekeeping – especially in Africa – have created a security vacuum and emboldened Islamic State terrorist cells, which this funding elimination would significantly exacerbate.
- No funding for the World Health Organization (WHO), and devastating cuts to America’s life-saving global health programs, including a 45% cut to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the elimination of CDC’s Global Health Center, which works closely with WHO.
As a founding member and top contributor to the UN, we have enjoyed a privileged role within the UN system for eight decades, putting the U.S. at the center of global decisions that directly impact Americans’ wellbeing and American business. These advantages would be lost.
Similarly, withdrawing American leadership from the world stage would create a vacuum our geopolitical competitors would quickly fill, threatening the security we have enjoyed for the better part of a century.
As Congress begins its deliberations, we urge Congressional leaders to restore all UN-related funding to the many UN entities that have kept the U.S. healthy, strong, prosperous and safe for the past 80 years.
Media Contact:
Kathryn Kross | kkross@unfoundation.org | 202-862-8577
