The U.S. budget office suggests pulling support from several UN missions, including in Lebanon.
The White House Office of Management and Budget has proposed ending U.S. funding for certain UN peacekeeping missions, including UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. Internal documents reviewed by Reuters show Washington’s growing dissatisfaction with the performance of missions in Mali, Lebanon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Reuters, this proposal is part of a wider plan to slash the State Department’s 2026 budget by about 50%, starting October 1. The budget office cited past failures of the missions, including MINUSMA (Mali), UNIFIL (Lebanon), and MONUSCO (Congo), as justification for halting contributions.
The U.S. is the largest financial contributor to the UN, covering 22% of its core $3.7 billion budget and 27% of the $5.6 billion peacekeeping budget. These funds support nine major missions worldwide, including those in Lebanon, South Sudan, Syria, and the disputed Abyei region.
Currently, the U.S. owes around $1.5 billion to the UN's general budget and $1.2 billion to its peacekeeping operations. UN rules require member states to settle debts within two years to retain voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly.