"The administration of United States President Donald Trump has pledged an extra $1.8bn in humanitarian funding to the United Nations. But the amount announced on Thursday remains far short of past US commitments to humanitarian aid, which totalled as high as $17bn in fiscal year 2022. Still, the Trump administration sought to frame that smaller sum as evidence of its push for greater government efficiency."
"Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, described Trump's goal as bringing transparency to how American tax dollars are being used for humanitarian aid. I'll tell you for certain: President Trump made clear from his first day in office that the days of accepting status-quo processes are over, Waltz said on a panel announcing the additional aid. He added that, in changing the US's approach to UN spending, Trump hoped to help the international body reform."
"The $1.8bn announced on Thursday comes in addition to a $2bn anchor commitment to humanitarian spending signed in December. But those funds were part of a memorandum wherein the Trump administration pushed the UN to pursue a humanitarian reset. It criticised the organisation for ideological creep and bureaucratic inefficiencies, among other issues."
"Since returning to office for a second term in January 2025, Trump has initiated a pullback away from international aid commitments, slashing available funds and dismantling key government structures. Last July, for instance, his administration shuttered the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been, for decades, the primary organ for the distribution of US foreign assistance."
The United States pledged an extra $1.8bn in humanitarian funding to the United Nations, on top of a $2bn commitment announced in December. The new amount is lower than past US humanitarian aid levels, which reached up to $17bn in fiscal year 2022. The Trump administration presented the smaller sum as part of a push for greater government efficiency and transparency in how American tax dollars are used. The US ambassador to the UN said the goal includes helping the UN reform its spending approach. The December funds were tied to a memorandum urging a humanitarian reset, criticizing ideological creep and bureaucratic inefficiencies. Since returning in January 2025, the administration has reduced international aid commitments, including shuttering USAID in July.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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