John Bolton, who previously served as President-elect Trump’s national security adviser, commented on the challenges that Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) will encounter as she takes on the role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
He emphasized that reforming the U.N. will be a demanding task, given the entrenched bureaucracy within the State Department. In an opinion piece published Thursday, Bolton, a former U.N. ambassador and current critic of Trump, highlighted the need for the United States to reassess its financial contributions to the 193-member organization, suggesting reductions in certain areas.
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He pointed out that the burden of driving these reforms would rest heavily on both U.S. missions to U.N. entities and the regional bureaus within the State Department, which handle relations with other member nations.
Bolton criticized the regional bureaus for prioritizing bilateral issues over addressing reforms, arguing that Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio would need to enforce stricter oversight for meaningful change to occur.
He also underlined the necessity of scaling back assessed contributions, which are mandatory payments by member states, describing them as tantamount to “taxation of America by other U.N. members.”
Following Trump’s presidential victory in 2024, Stefanik was selected for the ambassadorial position, subject to Senate confirmation. Known for her staunch support of Israel, she has been outspoken in condemning the U.N.’s criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza and has referred to the organization as being plagued by “antisemitic rot.”
Bolton proposed that the U.S. transition away from assessed contributions in favor of voluntary funding, determined by evaluating the effectiveness of individual U.N. programs.
He asserted that programs funded voluntarily, such as the World Food Program, tend to perform better due to the accountability tied to annual evaluations. He argued that poorly performing voluntary programs should see reduced funding.
The op-ed also included a recommendation for the U.S. to exit the United Nations Education, Culture, and Science (UNESCO), which it rejoined last year.
Bolton concluded by advocating for a reallocation of funds from U.N. contributions toward bolstering the U.S. defense budget, framing this as a more effective use of resources.
