The White House budget office is shaking up international priorities again. A new proposal aims to scrap funding for United Nations peacekeeping missions, pointing fingers at “failures by operations in Mali, Lebanon and Democratic Republic of Congo.”
The United States remains the UN’s largest contributor. China follows. Together, they shoulder 22% of the $3.7 billion core regular UN budget and 27% of the $5.6 billion peacekeeping budget, a huge stake now up for review.
This proposed pullback appears in a budget document known as a “Passback” Washington’s way of responding to funding requests from the State Department for the next fiscal year starting from the 1st of October. The Passback includes a sweeping recommendation: slash the State Department’s budget by nearly half.
Congress still holds the final word. Lawmakers can approve, reject, or rework the proposals. During Donald Trump’s first term, a similar attempt to cut diplomatic and aid budgets by one-third was stopped by Congress.
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The State Department is expected to respond to the Passback this week. When pressed on rge 15th of April, 2025, spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters, “there is no final plan, final budget.”
Still, a bold move is on the table: ending Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities (CIPA) altogether.
Will Capitol Hill let it slide this time?