U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) recently joined legislation to completely remove any association and relationship between the United States and the United Nations (U.N.).
In the first month of the Donald Trump administration, one thing is clear: many of the nation's previously assumed alliances and institutions are on the chopping block.
With Elon Musk's Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashing federal funding to long-established agencies, Congress has already begun pushing to remove U.S. funding from programs and institutions perceived to be wasteful or gratuitous.
Rogers joined U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) in introducing the Disengaging Entirely From the United Nations Debacle (DEFUND) Act, which would remove all funding and participation the U.S. shares with the U.N. U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is carrying the measure in the Senate.
"Since 1945, the U.S. has ceded incrementally greater sovereignty to the United Nations system under the auspices of the altogether illusory 'customary international law,'" The Act's summary reads. "As one nation out of 193, the U.S. finances one-fifth of the U.N. system. Even more egregious is that the vast majority of U.S. contributions are voluntary – which we have no obligation or agreement to provide. Despite the internationalists' appeal to 'soft power,' U.S. dollars are used to make a mockery of our values and interests and those of our allies."
"Our contributions have given refuge to terrorists through UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency]; facilitated coercive abortions under the guise of "reproductive healthcare" at UNFPA [United Nations Fund for Population Activities]; provided political cover for the WHO [World Health Organization] to act as China's mouthpiece; and continue to provide the financial armor for the General Assembly to engage in blatant anti-Israel bias. This includes "overwhelmingly" endorsing membership for a State of Palestine last year4 and tacitly supporting ICC-led efforts to prosecute Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu given the UN-ICC [International Criminal Court] cooperative agreement."
This is not Rogers' first attempt to abolish the U.S. relationship with the U.N. In 2022, Rogers introduced the American Sovereignty Restoration Act, which would have disassociated the U.S. with both the U.N. and the WHO.
The DEFUND Act would terminate America's U.N. membership, close the U.S. mission [delegation] to the U.N., withdraw any agreements between the U.S. and the U.N., and more.
"The bloated, bureaucratic, supranational framework of the UN is the very sort of entanglement that our Founders cautioned against," the summary continues. "While Presidents have in the past curtailed funding or initiated withdrawals from specific UN entities, those actions have been undone by subsequent Presidents."
"While the U.N. may have provided a needed forum for diplomatic engagement in the post-WWII era, it has long ceased to be a valuable or responsible use of U.S. resources. The Disengaging Entirely From the United Nations Debacle (DEFUND) Act will withdraw U.S. dollars and participation from the U.N. system and place strict parameters around any potential U.N. engagement in the future."
The Defund Act also does the following:
• Repeals the United Nations Participation Act of 1945, the primary implementing legislation for U.S. participation in the U.N. system
• Repeals the United Nations Headquarters Agreement Act, which allowed the U.N. to establish a sovereign district in New York
• Terminates assessed and voluntary contributions to the U.N.
• Prohibits U.S. participation in any U.N. peacekeeping operations
• Strips U.N. employees and officers and those of any mission to the U.N. of diplomatic immunity in the U.S.
• Withdraws from the World Health Organization
• Ends U.S. participation in any conventions and agreements with the U.N. or its subsidiaries
• Prohibits the President from reentering the U.N. system without the advice and consent of the Senate, which will be subject to a reservation requiring that any ratification instrument include an explicit withdrawal provision
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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