US Withdraws from 66 International Organizations

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum to withdraw the US from 66 international organizations it said "no longer serve American interests."

The Details: The Memorandum orders all Executive Departments and Agencies to cease participating in and funding 35 non-United Nations (UN) organizations and 31 UN entities that "operate contrary to US national interests, security, economic prosperity or sovereignty." The administration said many of the organizations "promote radical climate policies, global governance and ideological programs" that conflict with US sovereignty and economic strength. It also emphasized taxpayer savings by leaving the groups. The organizations included a broad range of international, intergovernmental and UN-affiliated bodies spanning energy, security, development, human rights, trade, governance and regional cooperation.

Climate Groups: Among the organizations were several also climate change groups, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)--which was ratified by the Senate in 1992–and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Reuters (Center bias) said the UNFCCC is described "by many as the 'bedrock' climate treaty" and Axios (Lean Left) reported that in order to rejoin the UNFCCC, the Senate would need to ratify the treaty with a two-thirds vote.

For Context: The US pays the most to the UN, with total contributions around $13 billion in 2023, however the exact amount varies yearly. Trump has sought to cut US funding to the US since the beginning of his second term. In February, he signed an Executive Order withdrawing the US from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and prohibiting any future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East (UNRWA). He has also previously announced plans to leave the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement.

How the Media Covered It: Many news outlets highlighted the impact to global climate change initiatives. The Guardian (Left) wrote, "Trump has routinely ridiculed climate science" and quoted several climate advisors who denounced the withdrawal. Axios said the biggest impact for many of the groups is likely funding as the US has historically been the biggest contributor to these organizations. Fox News (Right) heavily cited Secretary of State Marco Rubio, including him saying the institutions were "redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, [and] captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own." The New York Post (Lean Right) emphasized claims that the UN coalition had been pushing "unconstitutional and racist" policies, including a push for global reparations.

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