President Trump recently spoke at the United Nations General Assembly and, for the most part, excoriated the other leaders there for their failures. Many Americans want to know: what does the United Nations do for them?
His speech wasn’t the first time Trump has hammered away at the United Nations. The president signed an order on January 7, 2026, to withdraw “the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States.”
Part of that order ended funding to United Nations organizations. The order read:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct:
Section 1. Purpose. (a) On February 4, 2025, I issued Executive Order 14199 (Withdrawing the United States from and Ending Funding to Certain United Nations Organizations and Reviewing United States Support to All International Organizations). That Executive Order directed the Secretary of State, in consultation with the United States Representative to the United Nations, to conduct a review of all international intergovernmental organizations of which the United States is a member and provides any type of funding or other support, and all conventions and treaties to which the United States is a party, to determine which organizations, conventions, and treaties are contrary to the interests of the United States. The Secretary of State has reported his findings as required by Executive Order 14199.
(b) I have considered the Secretary of State’s report and, after deliberating with my Cabinet, have determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to the organizations listed in section 2 of this memorandum.
(c) Consistent with Executive Order 14199 and pursuant to the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to take immediate steps to effectuate the withdrawal of the United States from the organizations listed in section 2 of this memorandum as soon as possible. For United Nations entities, withdrawal means ceasing participation in or funding to those entities to the extent permitted by law.
(d) My review of further findings of the Secretary of State remains ongoing.
An earlier order signed by President Trump on February 4, 2025 had already removed funding and participation from certain U.N. programs, including:
- UNHRC: the UN Human Rights Council
- UNESCO: the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
- UNRWA: the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Peter Schiff notes the financial troubles this has caused the U.N., and says bankruptcy can’t come fast enough, writing:
The UN is also a gigantic financial failure. All of these ex-politicians rake in pretty serious salaries, in addition to massive benefits ranging from security details to tax-free earnings. It literally pays to be a failed politician.
Partly as a result of such lavish spending, the UN is now in serious financial straits…
In January, the UN’s secretary-general even warned of the organization’s “imminent financial collapse” and “race to bankruptcy”.
The same guys who want to tell developing nations how to manage their finances can’t manage to stay afloat themselves.
The biggest irony is that these are the same politicians that their respective democratic nations already threw out. Yet now they’ve all been elevated to jobs where they can’t be fired, don’t answer to voters, and were never elected by anyone.
Milei was right: what is lacking is consequences.
The only real consequence the UN may ever face is bankruptcy… and that can’t come fast enough.
Read more here.
