As global humanitarian crises escalate and Washington reexamines how foreign aid dollars are spent, the United States announced Monday it will pledge $2 billion to United Nations relief programs, pairing continued support with strict demands for reform.
According to The Associated Press, the pledge comes as President Donald Trump’s administration continues sweeping reductions in U.S. foreign assistance and issues a blunt warning to U.N. agencies facing a new financial reality: “adapt, shrink or die.”
While far smaller than past contributions, U.S. officials argue the $2 billion commitment preserves America’s standing as the world’s largest humanitarian donor. In recent years, U.S. humanitarian funding tied to U.N.-backed programs has reached as much as $17 billion annually, according to U.N. figures.
Under the new approach, the money will be placed into a centralized funding mechanism rather than distributed directly to individual agencies.
The administration says that shift is designed to enforce accountability and drive structural changes across the U.N.’s humanitarian system — changes that have alarmed many aid workers and already led to deep cuts in services and staffing.
The United States has already slashed billions in foreign aid this year, triggering layoffs, canceled projects, and scaled-back operations at major U.N. agencies, including those focused on refugees, migration, and food assistance. Other Western donors have also reduced funding, compounding the pressure.
Critics argue the pullback has been shortsighted, worsening hunger, displacement, and disease while eroding U.S. influence abroad. Those concerns have grown as crises escalate in places such as Sudan and Gaza, where famine has been recorded, and as floods, droughts, and other disasters have displaced thousands.
The U.S. pledge is being formalized through a preliminary agreement with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), led by Tom Fletcher. His office has already launched what it calls a “humanitarian reset” aimed at improving efficiency and oversight while scaling back funding requests in response to donor cutbacks.
Rather than sending aid directly to agencies like the World Food Program, the International Organization for Migration, or the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, the administration wants OCHA to act as the central gatekeeper.
The United States is seeking “more consolidated leadership authority” within the U.N.’s aid system, a senior State Department official said, adding that Fletcher’s office “are going to control the spigot” for distributing funds.
“This humanitarian reset at the United Nations should deliver more aid with fewer tax dollars — providing more focused, results-driven assistance aligned with U.S. foreign policy,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz said.
According to the State Department, the agreement requires agencies to reduce bureaucracy, eliminate duplication, and curb what it described as “ideological creep.”
“Individual U.N. agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die,” the department said.
Initial funding will target 17 countries, including Bangladesh, Congo, Haiti, Syria, and Ukraine. Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories are excluded, with officials saying aid to Gaza will be addressed through Trump’s developing peace plan.
Fletcher praised the agreement, calling it a sign that the United States remains a “humanitarian superpower” even as it demands sweeping reform.
