Wednesday December 27, 2017
The U.S. government says it has negotiated a significant cut in the United Nations budget.
The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that the U.N.'s 2018-2019 budget would be slashed by over $285 million. The mission said reductions would also be made to the U.N.'s management and support functions.
The announcement didn't make clear the entire amount of the budget or specify what effect the cut would have on the U.S. contribution.
U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said that the "inefficiency and overspending" of the organization is well-known, and she would not let "the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of."
She also said that while the mission was pleased with the results of budget negotiations, it would continue to "look at ways to increase the U.N.'s efficiency while protecting our interests."
The announcement came shortly after U.N. member nations voted overwhelmingly to oppose a decision by President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel-a move that drew condemnation and protests from across the Arab and Muslim world.
The full 193-member U.N. General Assembly met last week for a rare emergency special session regarding Trump's decision. Unlike at the Security Council, the U.S. has no veto power in the assembly.
A total of 128 members voted in favor of the resolution while nine countries voted against it and 35 others abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.
In response, Trump threatened U.N. members that he would withhold billions of dollars in aid to countries that voted in support of the resolution denouncing the U.S. move.
"They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," he said.
Haley also threatened U.N. members over the vote, saying there would be consequences and she would be "taking names" of countries who voted in favor of the resolution.
Jerusalem's status has long been considered a final status issue to be determined by Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, and Trump's decision is widely seen as undercutting that longstanding understanding. East Jerusalem, which Palestinians are seeking to make the capital of their state, has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.
The U.S. currently provides about 22 percent of the U.N. budget or approximately $3.3 billion per year.