Trump administration ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said it's well past time for the United States to cut its funding to the United Nations, just a day after Britain announced it will scale down its financial contributions to the international organization.
"Taxpayers should always know their return on investment," Haley told the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday. "Any aid the United States gives should support American values and priorities rather than trying to buy friends. The United Kingdom should be applauded for recognizing that—and President Biden should follow suit."
U.K. officials announced they will cut billions of dollars from the government's foreign aid budget, primarily to international organizations like the United Nations, the World Bank, and the European Union. British officials said investments in these organizations are being wasted on programs that do not promote the country's foreign interests.
While the United Kingdom's decision is unlikely to impact the Biden administration's U.N. funding, it has galvanized Republicans like Haley and those in Congress who have long seen the organization as riddled with corruption and overly deferential to adversarial countries like Russia, China, and Iran. The United States is the United Nations' largest donor, giving the organization around $11 billion in 2020—about a fifth of the organization's total budget.
Upon entering office, President Joe Biden rejoined the U.N. Human Rights Council, which the Trump administration boycotted for its almost singular focus on Israel. The Human Rights Council has long been a hotbed for anti-Israel activity and routinely allows countries known for their human rights abuses to be members.
American membership of the United Nations also received new scrutiny in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO), a U.N. body, is alleged to have helped China cover up the existence of the virus and its lethality in the early days of the pandemic, prompting calls for the United States to cut funding and pull away from the WHO and the United Nations at large.