United Nations — The Trump administration on Thursday announced $1.8 billion in additional funding for UN humanitarian aid, saying the money would go toward life-saving aid for victims of natural disasters, famine and “people who are truly in desperate need.”
The funds will be allocated over the next year and added to $2 billion pledged by the Trump administration In December. The new funding is just “the latest step,” Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said at a news conference.
The money represents a small fraction of what the United States has contributed in the past, but reflects what President Donald Trump’s administration believes is still a generous sum that will maintain America’s position as the world’s leading nation. The largest humanitarian donor.
The Trump administration has Reducing billions in US foreign aidThis prompted UN agencies to cut spending, aid projects and thousands of jobs. Other traditional UN donors, such as Britain, France, Germany and Japan, have also reduced their aid allocations.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator, described his agency as “overstretched, under-resourced and literally under attack” and underscored its 2026 plan to reach 87 million of the world’s most needy people at a cost of $23 billion – even though 300 million people need humanitarian assistance.
He added that before Waltz’s announcement, the United Nations had raised about $7.4 billion. He described the United States as the United Nations’ “largest national donor.”
Waltz criticized what he described as the narrative circulating in the media that the United States has moved away from helping those in need, saying it is “completely false.”
Under Trump, the United States has taken a stand Eclectic approach To pay United Nations dues Selection of operations and agencies She believes she is in line with Trump’s agenda and avoids one that is no longer so Serve American interests. “Individual UN agencies will need to adapt, shrink or die,” the State Department said.
Critics say Western aid cuts have been short-sighted and targeted Millions go hungryDisplacement, illness and harm US soft power All over the world.