Why It Matters

The Trump administration's approach to reshaping the United Nations has created a widening gap with other major powers, according to a new Congressional Research Service report on UN reform. It has withdrawn the United States from more than 30 UN entities and delayed or halted payments to some UN bodies, including the UN regular budget and peacekeeping missions.

Congress and the executive branch jointly shape U.S. approaches to UN reform, and the global institution itself is grappling with funding shortfalls due mainly to the accumulation of arrears by some UN members, particularly the United States.

The Big Picture

The United States is assessed at 22 percent of the UN regular budget and 26.15 percent of the UN peacekeeping budget. As of April 30, U.S. unpaid assessments were $2.037 billion for the UN regular budget, representing 73 percent of the total unpaid assessments, and $2.247 billion for UN peacekeeping, representing 63 percent of total unpaid assessments. According to the CRS report, the State Department recently notified Congress of its intent to pay down $725 million of U.S. arrears.

The 2026 UN regular budget totaled $3.45 billion, representing a 15 percent reduction from 2025, and included a 19 percent cut in UN staffing, with an estimated 2,900 UN positions to be abolished and more than 1,000 UN staff separations being finalized. In December 2025, over 40 countries issued a joint statement arguing that UN80-related budget cuts disproportionately affected UN human rights activities.

In June, having been required by Congress to enter into written agreements with each international organization that receives appropriated funds to provide U.S. auditors timely access to relevant financial data, the State Department reported to Congress that the United States and UN entities had not entered into any such agreements. A Department of State Office of Inspector General report in January found that its Bureau of International Organization Affairs struggled to identify practical performance indicators to track progress and measure UN management reform outcomes. It recommended the establishment of a consistent process to monitor and evaluate efforts to advance UN reforms.

The UN80 Initiative, proposed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2025, aims broadly to improve the effectiveness of the UN Secretariat, review the status of UN mandates, and realign certain UN programs and structures. The Trump administration has largely approached the UN80 Initiative as an opportunity to reorganize, reduce, or eliminate UN programs and staff, and views it as a chance to reestablish what it sees as the core UN mandate of maintaining peace and security.

China and some developing nations have jointly argued that UN80 is not simply about cutting budget or downsizing staff, maintaining that reform efforts should prioritize development and the needs of developing countries. European Union countries have expressed support for UN80 but have emphasized the importance of preserving the integrity and balance of the three UN pillars, specifically peace and security, development, and human rights.

The Bottom Line

UN members are likely to consider UN80 and other related reform proposals at the 81st General Assembly session, now underway in New York. A new UN Secretary-General, whose term will begin in January 2027, may have his or her own views and priorities on UN reform.

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