Trump seeks to slash UN funding by half: report

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump is asking the State Department to cut UN funding by more than 50 percent, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The story comes just two days before the White House is expected to unveil a budget that will reportedly slash State Department funding by 37 percent.

The cut to the UN's U.S. funding would be made as part of the overall dip in State Department funds.

The U.S. currently provides the UN with about one-fifth of its budget, or roughly $10 billion annually. The monetary blow would affect peacekeeping missions, nuclear monitoring and vaccination efforts, among other programs.

Still, Foreign Policy reported that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will have latitude in determining how to implement the reduction.

The magazine said U.S. diplomats have warned UN officials to “expect a big financial restraint” on Washington’s spending.

“There are rumors of big cuts to the State Department budget, but again, on our side, no figures,” one U.S. diplomat told donors, according to Foreign Policy.

On Thursday, many of the rumored cuts to various federal agencies will become clearer when the White House publishes its topline budget proposal. The cuts will likely be made in order to boost defense spending by $54 billion.

Trump has consistently derided U.S. funding for international programs and institutions, including the UN, while lauding the importance of the Pentagon.

He said in December the global body is "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.

"As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th.," he added on Twitter, referring to the date of his inauguration.

Any federal budget will have to be approved by Congress, and lawmakers including key Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham have warned against the proposed slashing of the State Department's budget.

If the White House chooses to pursue the over one-third dip in department funding, the budget proposal will be “dead on arrival, it’s not going to happen, it would be a disaster”, Graham said last month.