Proponents argue the UN undermines U.S. interests.
Republican legislators are renewing their push for the United States to leave the United Nations, asserting that the UN works against American interests and wastes taxpayer money.
The U.S. is a founding member of the UN and holds a permanent seat on the Security Council, which is responsible for resolving conflicts and maintaining peace. The UN headquarters is also located in New York City. Senator Mike Lee introduced a bill on Thursday to sever ties with the UN, with Senators Marsha Blackburn and Rick Scott as co-sponsors. Representatives Mike Rogers and Chip Roy introduced a similar bill in the House.
If passed, the legislation would eliminate the legal basis for U.S. participation in the UN, end all financial contributions, prohibit U.S. involvement in UN peacekeeping operations, and cut off connections with various UN agencies. The proposal includes strict requirements for any future involvement.
Lee voiced his opposition to “blank checks” that allow U.S. tax dollars to fund initiatives that “fly in the face of our values, enabling tyrants, betraying allies, and spreading bigotry.”
Blackburn echoed these views, accusing the UN of “placating Hamas terrorists and the Chinese Communist Party.” Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, launched a deadly attack on Israel in October 2023, which led to the most recent surge in violence in the Middle East.
This new proposal is the same as Lee’s previous bill from December 2023. Attempts to end U.S. involvement with the UN go back to at least 1997, when Representative Ron Paul suggested similar actions.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order targeting three UN bodies that his administration considered “anti-American,” including the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Trump withdrew the U.S. from the UNHRC, defunded UNRWA, and started a review of relations with UNESCO, claiming that these agencies act against U.S. interests and promote anti-Semitism – criticisms similar to those made by Israel against these organizations.
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