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Republican Lawmakers Push for Complete U.S. Withdrawal From United Nations
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![Vlad Litnarovych]( "Vlad Litnarovych")
Republican lawmakers launched efforts to pull the United States out of the United Nations, arguing that the international organization does not serve American interests and contradicts former President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, Fox News reported on February 20.
On Thursday, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced a bill titled the “Complete U.S. Withdrawal from the United Nations Act of 2025,” which seeks to end U.S. membership in the UN and its affiliated agencies and halt all funding to these organizations. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) in the Senate.
Among the co-sponsors in the House of Representatives are Mike Rogers (R-Alabama), Eli Crane (R-Arizona), Diana Harshbarger (R-Tennessee), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming), Josh Brecheen (R-Oklahoma), Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia).
Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) is set to introduce a companion bill in the House on February 21. Roy criticized the UN, saying, “The United Nations has become a platform for tyrants and a place to attack America and its allies.”
“We should stop paying for it. As President Trump revolutionizes our foreign policy by putting America first, we must leave this sham organization and prioritize real alliances that ensure our nation’s security and prosperity,” Senator Lee said.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. contributes more funding to the UN than any other country, providing over $18 billion in 2022—approximately one-third of the UN’s total budget.
“The United Nations exploits American taxpayer dollars while often undermining our interests, attacking our allies, and supporting our adversaries,” Senator Chip Roy stated.
He further argued that, despite decades of funding and attention, “this corrupt globalist organization has failed to prevent wars, genocides, human rights abuses, and even pandemics.”
The proposed legislation would prohibit U.S. participation in UN-led peace talks and ban the executive branch from rejoining any UN-affiliated organization without Senate approval.
Public opinion on the UN remains divided. According to an April 2024 Pew Research Center poll, over 70% of Democrats and left-leaning independents view the UN favorably, compared to only 34% of Republicans and right-leaning independents.
Trump previously attempted to cut or reduce U.S. funding for UN agencies during his first term and pursued the same policy in his second term.
He signed an executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council and slash funding to UNRWA, the UN’s Palestinian relief agency.
Earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly directed senior Pentagon and military leaders to draft plans for an 8% annual reduction in the defense budget over the next five years.
