April 16, 2025 | Updated: 3:55 AM GMT+6
Washington (Reuters) — The Trump administration has proposed ending U.S. funding for United Nations peacekeeping operations, citing failed missions in Mali, Lebanon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to internal planning documents reviewed by Reuters.
The proposal, put forward by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), comes as part of a broader plan to drastically reduce the U.S. diplomatic and foreign aid budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1. The draft budget recommends slashing the State Department’s funding by nearly half.
The United States remains the largest financial contributor to both the UN’s regular budget and its peacekeeping operations, which are mandatory contributions. China is the second-largest donor, providing 22% of the $3.7 billion regular budget and 27% of the $5.6 billion peacekeeping budget.
The proposed cuts to peacekeeping fall under what officials refer to as the “passback” process — OMB’s initial response to the State Department’s funding requests. While the OMB recommendations are not final, they provide insight into the administration’s fiscal priorities and signal a renewed push to reduce U.S. engagement in multilateral operations.
Congress, which holds the constitutional power to determine federal spending, will ultimately decide whether to adopt, amend, or reject the administration’s proposal. Lawmakers have previously rebuffed similar efforts by President Trump during his first term, including a proposed one-third cut to diplomacy and foreign aid budgets.
The State Department is expected to formally respond to the OMB proposal on Tuesday. When asked about the funding cuts, an OMB spokesperson told reporters that “there is no final plan, no final budget.”
The administration’s move is likely to reignite debate in Washington and at the United Nations over America’s role in global peacekeeping and multilateral cooperation — particularly at a time of growing international instability.
