BRYAN LEIB: The US Should Stop Funding The United Nations

The United Nations — established with the noble vision of promoting global peace, security and cooperation — has in recent decades become an organization far removed from its founding ideals. Instead, it has devolved into a bureaucratic behemoth rife with mismanagement, financial inefficiency and a consistent track record of undermining core American values and interests.

As the largest financial contributor to the U.N., the United States continues to pump billions of taxpayer dollars into an organization that has repeatedly shown its hostility towards key U.S. allies, particularly Israel, and has often turned a blind eye to terrorism and human rights abuses.

It is time for the United States to pull the plug on this misguided investment and re-deploy the money to domestic needs.

At the heart of the U.N.’s failures lies its chronic misuse of funds. The United States provides nearly 22% of the UN’s core budget, and over 25% of its peacekeeping budget, totaling billions of dollars annually. In 2022, the United States gave over $18 billion to the United Nations.

However, reports of wasteful spending and bureaucratic inefficiency have plagued the organization for years. From excessive administrative costs to inflated staff salaries, much of the U.N.’s funding is funneled into a bloated system that does little to advance its stated mission.

One of the most glaring examples of the United Nations’ dysfunction is the rampant fraud and corruption at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), an organization specifically tasked with supporting Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA has not only failed to achieve meaningful results but has been mired in controversy for years. Investigations have uncovered widespread fraud within the agency, including inflated payrolls, employees linked to terrorist groups like Hamas, and the use of UNRWA schools and facilities to store weapons.

Even more troubling, UNRWA’s very mandate perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem by passing refugee status from one generation to the next, unlike any other refugee agency in the world.

Rather than providing solutions, UNRWA has become part of the problem—funneling U.S. taxpayer dollars into a broken system that sustains the status quo and facilitates extremist activities. Continuing to fund such an agency is a direct affront to both fiscal responsibility and U.S. national security.

So, in addition to funding an organization like UNRWA, it’s equally concerning that the UN’s disturbing track record of appeasing or even supporting rogue regimes and terrorist organizations. Time and again, U.N. bodies have failed to take meaningful action against countries and groups that directly threaten American security interests and the safety of our allies.

Take Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization by both the U.S. and the European Union. Instead of holding Hezbollah accountable for its acts of terrorism and destabilization in the Middle East, the U.N. has repeatedly turned a blind eye. UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, was established to ensure that Hezbollah disarmed after the 2006 war with Israel. Yet, Hezbollah has not only retained its weapons but has expanded its arsenal, using UNIFIL’s presence as a shield for its activities. Why should the United States continue to finance an organization that fails to prevent terrorism and, at times, seems to enable it?

Are we noticing a trend here from the U.N.? They turn a blind eye to the vast human rights abuses of terrorist groups while funding groups like UNWRA but perhaps no issue reveals the U.N.’s bias more clearly than its treatment of Israel.

The only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel has faced an incessant barrage of unfair criticism and condemnations from various U.N. bodies. The U.N. Human Rights Council, for example, has issued more resolutions condemning Israel than any other country on Earth, often while ignoring flagrant human rights abuses in countries like Iran, China, and North Korea. This obsession with demonizing Israel is not just misguided — it’s dangerous.

The United States, as Israel’s staunchest ally, cannot continue to fund an organization that actively undermines Israel’s right to self-defense and sovereignty. The U.N.’s consistent siding with anti-Israel factions has emboldened terrorist groups like Hamas, who use the U.N.’s political cover to launch attacks on innocent civilians. Why should American taxpayers fund an organization that consistently acts against one of our closest allies?

So, with all of this said, I have reached the decision that the United States should no longer prop up a system that is fundamentally broken when we could be using the vast resources to fund programs to improve our infrastructure and end veteran suicides in America.

The original promise of the U.N. was one of collective security and global cooperation. However, in reality, it has devolved into an anti-Western, anti-Israel platform rife with corruption and inefficiency.

There are better ways to engage with the world and promote peace, security and human rights. Bilateral agreements, regional partnerships, and support for truly effective international organizations are all avenues the United States can pursue without the baggage of the UN.

It is time to stop sending billions of dollars to an organization that fails to align with American values and interests. U.S. taxpayers should no longer be asked to fund a corrupt bureaucracy that supports terrorist groups, undermines our allies and mismanages its resources. The United Nations has had its chance and it has failed.

The United States should finally stop funding this broken institution and redirect its resources towards initiatives that truly serve American interests and values.

Bryan E. Leib is the Republican candidate for Florida’s 25^th Congressional District and the CEO of Henry Public Relations. He can be found on X @BryanLeibFL.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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