Rep. Elise Stefanik, President Trump’s nominee to function US ambassador to the United Nations, mentioned Tuesday that she was dedicated to reforming the worldwide group — and the US’ monetary contributions to it, citing deep concern over the physique’s unfair remedy of Israel.
Requested to explain the UN in a single phrase, the New York Republican mentioned: “Antisemitic.”
To vary that, Stefanik argued that the US wants “to be a voice of ethical readability on the UN Safety Council and on the United Nations at giant for the world to listen to the significance of standing with Israel,” which she dedicated to doing if confirmed.
“President Trump has an incredible file relating to standing with Israel, whether or not it’s the Abraham Accords, whether or not it’s his dedication to combating antisemitism or recognizing Jerusalem because the everlasting capital of Israel.
“It is a robust, robust file, and I hope to do this on the UN if confirmed.”
However earlier than reforms could be made, Stefanik pledged to evaluate US funding for UN applications and subsidiaries to make sure the worldwide group is correctly paying out those that advance security and safety — and, critically, American pursuits.
“If confirmed, I’m dedicated to a full evaluate throughout the UN’s applications. I believe it’s crucial that we do a full evaluate, because the president introduced the manager order at present as nicely concerning all of overseas help, and I might ensure that we’re being good stewards of US taxpayer {dollars},” she mentioned, referencing Trump’s Tuesday government order pausing all overseas help funding for 90 days.
“I believe we have to roll our sleeves up ship reforms and ensure that our bucks are going to applications inside the UN that work, which have a foundation within the rule of regulation, which have a foundation in transparency and accountability, and strengthen our nationwide safety and our partnerships,” she mentioned.
The US is the biggest single contributor to the UN, Stefanik mentioned, including that her precedence might be to ensure that America’s investments are making the nation safer, stronger and extra affluent — key themes of the brand new Trump administration.
“Our tax {dollars} shouldn’t be complicit in propping up entities which might be counter to American pursuits, antisemitic, or participating in fraud, corruption or terrorism,” Stefanik mentioned in her opening remarks to the Senate Overseas Relations Committee.
The US gave roughly $18 billion to the UN in 2022, the latest fiscal yr with full information out there, in response to the Council on Overseas Relations. The overwhelming majority of that funding — about 83% of which — was given voluntarily.
“This represents a few quarter of the roughly $70 billion america spends yearly on overseas help,” in response to CFR.
She took specific purpose on the United Nations Refugee Employees Affiliation, which Congress voted to defund final yr over its cozying as much as Hamas in Gaza and Stefanik accused of “not assembly the mission of the UN’s founding rules.”
“There have been people in UNRWA who participated, who executed and dedicated terrorist acts in opposition to Israel on Oct. 7. [Yahyah] Sinwar, the chief of Hamas, carried an UNRWA passport. You had a Hamas information heart below UNRWA headquarters, so the rot is deep,” she mentioned.
“Congress made the appropriate determination. I used to be proud to be one of many leaders when it got here to defunding UNRWA, and I’m dedicated to holding them accountable.”
The committee’s chairman, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), inspired Stefanik to “reform” the UN, questioning whether or not the nation ought to even proceed collaborating within the international intergovernmental group it helped discovered after World Conflict II.
“At this level, the US ought to critically study if additional contributions and, certainly, participation within the UN is even helpful to the American individuals,” he mentioned.
However some, similar to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), expressed concern in regards to the Trump administration’s intention to shift to an America-first perspective, warning Stefanik in opposition to pulling america too far again from participating within the worldwide area.
“I’m frightened that we’re going to simply get out of the room, after which relegate ourselves to observer standing, after which marvel why we’re shedding the battle within the room,” he mentioned. “I simply wish to know if you’re dedicated to staying in these rooms to combating for American priorities and values, fairly than kind of taking your marbles and going house.”
Stefanik assured Shatz, saying “I believe it’s crucial that we keep in these rooms.
“We have to lead with our requirements and our values, and admittedly, the world is in search of us to steer, and that’s an essential instrument in our nationwide safety toolkit,” she mentioned.
Stefanik would avoid wasting applications, pledging to “a evaluate of all of our bucks going into varied UN businesses and taking a look at what are best.”
For instance, she mentioned UNICEF and the World Meals Program “preserve bipartisan assist” and “delivered vital, vital outcomes for thousands and thousands across the globe and strengthens our nationwide safety.”
To additional peace within the Center East and defend the US Ally, Stefanik additionally urged creating an Abraham Accords caucus within the United Nations, which might convey extra nations into the fold on the Trump administration’s deliberate efforts to increase the peace settlement that started the normalization of relations between the Arab and Israel.
“We’ve got an Abraham Accords caucus in Congress, I believe we must always contemplate beginning an Abraham Accords caucus inside the United Nations to construct on President [Trump’s] success in delivering that historic end result — the best breakthrough for normalization within the Center East in over 1 / 4 of a century,” she mentioned.
Whereas a lot of Stefanik’s testimony on Tuesday centered on Israel, she additionally spoke about holding accountable America’s adversaries, similar to China — and serving to Taiwan break additional into the world stage.
“I’m dedicated to creating certain that Taiwan has essentially the most most significant participation inside the UN system, because it ought to in all worldwide organizations,” she mentioned.
“We’ve got to be vigilant, each in the long run and the brief time period, to ensure that China is just not in a position to make vital inroads with the CCP in worldwide organizations.”
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