US plans USD 850 million UN payment while pressing for sweeping reforms

Washington,UPDATED: Aug 22, 2026 03:20 IST

The US government has told Congress that it plans to pay USD 850 million towards its dues to the United Nations, marking the biggest payment the Trump administration would make to the world body since it began demanding sweeping reforms in return for continued support as its largest donor.

The move comes even as the US remains far behind on its payments to the UN. According to the United Nations, Washington owes about USD 5 billion in dues linked to its membership, including more than USD 2 billion for the regular budget and USD 3 billion for peacekeeping operations.

According to notifications sent to lawmakers this month and obtained by The Associated Press, the State Department plans to transfer USD 725 million towards the regular UN budget and USD 125 million for UN peacekeeping operations in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The notices were sent on August 4 and were first reported by Reuters.

In February, the Trump administration made a single payment of USD 160 million shortly after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the institution faced "imminent financial collapse" unless its financial rules were overhauled or all 193 member nations paid their dues. The message was clearly aimed at the United States.

For the past year and a half, President Donald Trump and his allies have pressed for major changes across the UN, causing concern among many humanitarian workers and leading to deep cuts in programmes and services. Trump has publicly criticised the organisation for not living up to its potential. His administration made no payment to the United Nations in 2025 and has pulled out of UN bodies including the World Health Organization and UNESCO, while also cutting funding to dozens of others.

The planned payments have already drawn some resistance from Republicans on Capitol Hill. They argue that the appropriations do not fully address the administration's concerns about what it says is bloated UN staffing and ideological positions that go against Trump's anti-woke agenda. A Republican congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because lawmakers have not yet decided how or whether to respond, said the notices did not appear strong enough on withholding US assistance to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In sum, the US has moved to clear part of its large unpaid dues to the UN with a proposed USD 850 million payment, even as the Trump administration continues to press for reforms and faces criticism from some Republicans over whether the move goes far enough.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends